Taxodium distichum

Bald cypress is in the cypress or Cupressaceae family and is native to much of the southeastern United States, from Delaware to Texas, especially Louisiana and inland up the Mississippi River to southern Indiana. It occurs mainly along rivers with silt-rich flood deposits and in areas seasonally flooded with water.

• According to the FNA (Flora of North America Database), the now-recognized taxonomic name of bald cypress is Taxodium distichum var. distichum.
• Leaves are alternate and linear, 2 cm long, with flat blades spiral on the stem but twisted at the base to appear in 1 plane.
• Leaves are deciduous (drop off in the fall), leaving the tree "bald" for the winter.
• Seed cones are green, round, 2–3.5 cm in diameter with 20–30 scales, ripening to brown and separating into individual scales.
• Bark is gray-brown, thin, rough and often fluted at the base.
• Roots have the characteristic cypress "knees" projecting above the water, possibly giving the roots access to more oxygen in very wet soil or often beneath water.