bald cypress


Also found in: Dictionary, Thesaurus.

bald cypress,

common name for members of the Taxodiaceae, a small family of deciduous or evergreen conifers with needlelike or scalelike leaves and woody cones. Most species of the family are trees of East Asia; almost all are cultivated for ornament (and are often erroneously called firs or pines). The redwoods (see sequoiasequoia
, name for the redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) and for the big tree, or giant sequoia (Sequoiadendron giganteum), both huge, coniferous evergreen trees of the bald cypress family, and for extinct related species.
..... Click the link for more information. ) and the bald cypresses are the only species native to North America. The bald cypresses (genus Taxodium) were widely distributed in the geologic past but are now restricted to the SE United States and Mexico. They are called "bald" because of their deciduous character, unusual in conifers. The common bald cypress (T. distichum) forms dense forests in the southeastern swamplands and is a common tree of the Everglades. It produces "knees" which project from the root system upward above water level to facilitate gas exchange. Because it is resistant to wood-rotting fungi, it is valued as softwood lumber for shingles, trim, and especially for greenhouse benches and racks. T. mucronatum, the big cypress or Mexican bald cypress, is a larger tree with a more western range. The true cypressescypress,
common name for members of the Cupressaceae, a widely distributed family of coniferous shrubs and trees, several yielding valuable timber. The major genera are Juniperus (juniper), Thuja (arborvitae), and Cupressus (the true cypresses).
..... Click the link for more information.  belong to a separate family. The bald cypress family is classified in the division PinophytaPinophyta
, division of the plant kingdom consisting of those organisms commonly called gymnosperms. The gymnosperms, a group that includes the pine, have stems, roots and leaves, and vascular, or conducting, tissue (xylem and phloem).
..... Click the link for more information. , class Pinopsida, order Coniferales.

Bald cypress

1.
2. A deciduous softwood tree resistant to decay and often used in contact with the soil and for exposed elements such as wood shingles; also used for flooring and trim. See also: Wood
Mentioned in ?
References in periodicals archive ?
Site condition, structure, and growth of bald cypress along tidal/non-tidal salinity gradients.
Changes in wetland forest structure, basal growth, and composition across a tidal gradient
Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is a long-lived, deciduous, wetland species that is frequently dominant in alluvial swamp forests of the southeastern United States.
Genetic variation in Pike County, Al, bald cypress populations
Size class was correlated to an index of electivity, with the 1 to 5-cm size class the most preferred size class for all woody species except for rough-leaf dogwood, Mexican buckeye, and bald cypress ([r.
Foraging preferences by American beavers, Castor canadensis (rodentia: Castoridae) on central Texas rivers
3) of far southwestern Indiana that hold standing water throughout the year, or nearly so, range from essentially pure stands of bald cypress, to stands mixed with silver maple, river birch (Betula nigra L.
Forest communities and tree species of the Lower Wabash River basin
A The fast-growing trees for your area include varieties such as bald cypress, lacebark elm, tulip tree and willow oak.
Instant shade trees
The remaining hardwood species include bald cypress, black walnut, green ash, pecan (native), persimmon and water tupelo.
Forestry Commission selling seedlings. (Forestry)
Pearsall's project eventually aims to keep peat sequestered under the soil by planting the coast with thousands of salt-tolerant bald cypress trees.
Climate change in the Carolinas
STANDING IN A SKIFF alongside a towering bald cypress tree in the shallow waters of central Florida's Lake Istokpoga, biologist Mike McMillian grips one end of a climbing rope.
A LITTLE OSPREY-TALITY GOES A LONG WAY - From Florida's Sanibel Island to Oregon's Willamette Valley, people are putting out the welcome mat for ospreys and the birds are flourishing
Miami has its palm trees and the Louisiana bayou its bald cypress, but live oaks symbolize an entire region and a way of life that never truly ended but can also never return.
in praise of live oaks
We will restore hydrology with moist soil impoundments and plant a variety of bottomland species, including oak, bald cypress and green ash.
Protecting a Duck Mecca
Bald cypress also is favored because it thrives under tough urban conditions and has very hard wood.
An Olympian effort: what comes down must go up
25 bald cypress tree and "knees" CAN YOU CATCH FLIES?
What's a Wetland?

Encyclopedia browser ?
Full browser ?