Taxodium distichum  is a large deciduous conifer characterized by the development of ‘knees’ growing upwards from the roots when located in wet areas. It belongs to the Cupressaceae (Cypress) family. Plant is native tree to the south-eastern United States that grows in the Mississippi Valley drainage basin, along the Gulf Coast. It is official tree of the State of Louisiana. The tree was brought to Europe in the 17^th century.

Bald cypress is a large, slow-growing, long-lived, deciduous conifer that sheds it needles in the late autumn so it is named ‘Bald cypress’. It grows to heights of 30–40 meters and has a trunk diameter of 1–2 meters. The tallest known specimen is about 45 meters tall in Virginia. The oldest known living specimen, found along the Black River in North Carolina, is at least 2.625 years old, rendering it the oldest living tree in eastern North America. One known tree in Florida, was 50 meters tall before the hurricane of 1925, when it lost about 12 meters in height. It had a circumference of 14 meters and a diameter of 5.3 meters and estimated to be 3,500 years old. This tree was burned down by vandals in 2012.

Taxodium distichum has 12 to 20 mm long, green, needle-like leaves arranged in two rows on either side of a narrow stem that are soft and feathery. In autumn, the leaves turn yellow or copper red. This tree is deciduous conifer that shed her leaves in the winter and then grows a new set-in spring. The bark is greyish brown to reddish brown, thin, and fibrous with a stringy texture; it has a vertically, interwoven pattern of shallow ridges and narrow furrows. Young trees have pyramidal crowns, but these change to a columnar shape in adulthood.

The main trunk is often surrounded by cypress knees, that a special kind of roots. The botanical term for the knee is pneumatophore, which means ‘air-bearing’. Pneumatophores grow from horizontal roots just below the surface and protrude upward from the ground or water. The pneumatophores, start to develop when the tree is around the age of 10. The functions of the pneumatophores are transport air to drowned roots underground, also help to anchor the tree.

Bald cypress is monoecious, with male and female cones on a single plant. The tree produces cones in April and the seeds ripen in October. The male and female strobili are produced from buds formed in late autumn, with pollination in early winter, and mature in about 12 months. Male cones emerge on panicles that are 10–13 cm long. Globular 2.0–3.5 cm diameter female cones are resinous and green while young, then turn hard and brown as the tree matures. They have from 20 to 30 spirally arranged, four-sided scales, each bearing one, two, or rarely three triangular seeds. Each cone contains 20 to 40, 5–10 mm seeds.

Taxodium distichum is a hardy and tough tree, grows in full sunlight to partial shade. It adapts to a wide range of soil types, whether wet, salty, dry, or swampy. It does well in acid, neutral and alkaline soils also can tolerate atmospheric pollution. Trees planted in the North-eastern US are hardy to temperatures of -33° C.

Today there are many varieties available, some of them: ‘Skyward’: A dwarf cultivar, mature size 8 to 10 meters tall and a spread of 1,5-3 meters with a columnar habit, it is well-suited for smaller landscapes. ‘Pendens’: A weeping pyramidal form that has nearly horizontal branches. ‘Mickelson’: A pyramidal to columnar tree with a dense crown that grows to 15 to 25 meters high and 3 to 7 meters wide. ‘Monarch of Illinois’: A wide spreading and leaderless tree that tends to not develop knees.

Use in Landscape: Bald Cypress is a  majestic tree with soft, ferny foliage, beautiful bark and cones make it an exciting addition to a landscape design in any season. Adapted to riverine habitats, the roots are not susceptible to suffocation making this tree a common candidate swampy areas. The tree is mostly planted for ornamental purposes, attractive for its ‘knees’. In its natural, wet habitat, the species is ecologically important, providing food and habitat for many plant and animal species. Frogs, toads, and salamanders use bald cypress swamps as breeding grounds. Wood ducks nest in hollow trunks. They are excellent at soaking up floodwaters and preventing erosion.

Taxodium distichum trees are valued for the rot-resistant heartwood of mature trees, so they have been widely used in carpentry including to make fence posts, doors, garden furniture, flooring, cabinetry, boats etc.