How to Manage and ID Baldcypress

Introduction: Baldcypress has just been selected as Tree of the Year by the Society of Municipal Arborists. Taxodium distichum is pyramidal when young but eventually develops into a broad-topped open specimen when mature. Baldcypress is the state tree of Louisiana.

Capable of reaching 100 to 150 feet in height, most landscaped trees are usually much younger and shorter. Specimen trees grow at a moderately fast rate, reaching 40 to 50 feet in about 15 to 25 years. Although it is native to wetlands it adapts well on welldrained soil. The pale green, needle-like leaves turn a brilliant coppery red in fall before dropping.

Specifics: Scientific name: Taxodium distichum
Pronunciation: tack-SO-dee-um DISS-tick-um
Common name: Baldcypress
Family: Taxodiaceae
USDA hardiness zones: 5 through 10
Origin: Native to North America
Uses: specimen, landscape, hedge, street tree tree
Availability: generally available in many areas within its hardiness range

Pruning: The baldcypress habit it to form a strong leading growth until well into maturity. The tree should be grown with a single leader to get the "church spire" look. This means that there is little or no need to prune to develop a strong and beautiful structure.

Comments from Experts: Douglas Justice, UBC Director: "Baldcypress is often compared to Metasequoia (dawn redwood)however, I recommend Taxodium as a focal point or single specimen in park gardens primarily because it’s shorter and more quickly develops a pleasing, rounded crown with soft, feathery foliage."

Dr. Mike Dirr -"(Baldcypress) use in Europe, particularly in German gardens, borders on the fantastic."

Cultivars: The cultivar ‘Monarch of Illinois’ has a very widespreading form and ‘Shawnee Brave’ has a narrow, pyramidal form, 15 to 20 feet wide. ‘Pendens’ has drooping branchlets and large cones. Taxodium distichum var. nutans (Taxodium ascendens) is native to wet, boggy areas with standing water, whereas Taxodium distichum is more common along streams. Propagation is by seed.

SMA's Tree of the Year: "I’m thrilled to see Taxodium distichum receive the well-deserved respect and notoriety it will earn as SMA’s Tree of the Year...
...I love the fine texture and unusual fall color, and it tolerates tight spaces above or below ground without causing significant infrastructure damage. Finally, when it sheds its needles each autumn, it gives me a chance to educate easily entertained friends and residents about the semantics of trees... evergreen vs. deciduous, conifer vs. pine, etc." Steve Cothrel, Superintendent of Parks and Forestry, City of Upper Arlington, Ohio

Insects and Disease: Bagworms can defoliate portions of baldcypress. Mites can also be a problem in dry summers causing early leaf drop in mid to late summer.

A Twig blight fungus can effect stressed baldcypress and will kill branch tips. Dead tips can be pruned off. Do not let dead or diseased branches remain on the tree. Keep trees healthy with regular fertilization.

Culture: Light requirement: tree grows in full sun
Soil tolerances: clay; loam; sand; slightly alkaline; acidic; extended flooding; well-drained
Drought tolerance: high
Aerosol salt tolerance: moderate
Soil salt tolerance: moderate

In Depth: Although often seen at water’s edge where it will develop "knees", or root projections, that will extend above the water, Baldcypress can also be grown in dry locations and makes an attractive lawn, street, or shade tree. Cypress knees do not generally form on these drier sites. Cities from Charlotte, NC, Dallas, TX to Tampa, FL currently use it as a street tree and it should be used more extensively throughout its range in urban landscapes. It provides a good vertical accent to the landscape and should be used more often in urban areas. Baldcypress can be clipped into a formal hedge, creating a wonderful soft screen.

Surprisingly, the roots do not appear to lift sidewalks and curbs as readily as some other species. Its delicate, feathery foliage affords light, dappled shade, and the heartwood of Baldcypress is quite resistant to rot. However, most lumber available at lumber yards today is sapwood and is not resistant to rot.

Baldcypress is ideal for wet locations, such as its native habitat of stream banks and mucky soils, but the trees will also grow remarkably well on almost any soil, including heavy, compacted, or poorly-drained muck, except alkaline soils with a pH above 7.5. Locate where the sun will strike the tree on all sides for best symmetrical development. Baldcypress is relatively maintenance-free, requiring pruning only to remove dead wood and unwanted lower branches which persist on the tree. It maintains a desirably straight trunk and a moderately dense canopy and does not form double or multiple leaders as do many other large trees.