Appendices & Glossary - Botanical Research Institute of Texas

1338 APPENDIX TWENTY-ONE/COMMERCIALLY IMPORTANT TIMBER TREES OF EAST TEXAS
TAXODIUM DISTICHUM (L.) Rich. BALD-CYPRESS
(CUPRESSACEAE, CYPRESS OR REDWOOD FAMILY)
Other Common Names: SOUTHERN BALD-CYPRESS, SOUTHERN-CYPRESS, SWAMP-CYPRESS, RED-CYPRESS, WHITE-CYPRESS, YEL-
LOW-CYPRESS, GULF-CYPRESS, TIDEWATER RED-CYPRESS.
Form and Size: medium to large tree to 40(–50) m; crown sharply pointed on young trees, becoming broad and rounded
or nearly flat-topped; trunk gradually tapering, usually to 1.5 m, rarely to 4 m in diameter, often with a strongly enlarged
buttressed base, and if growing in or near water, the tree will have several conspicuous, cone-shaped “knees” produced
by the roots and extending above the surface.
Leaves: deciduous (shed with deciduous twiglets), small, 2-ranked, linear to linear-lanceolate, flat, 5–17 mm long, laterally
divergent, the free portion contracted and twisted basally, without an abaxial resin gland.
Buds: rounded, 2–4 mm in diameter, with several closely overlapping, pale brown scales.
Seed Cones: hanging, singly or 2–3 together, rounded to pear-shaped, to ca. 25(–40) mm in diameter, wrinkled and becoming
woody, green turning brown or brownish purple at maturity; cone scales somewhat peltate (= shield-shaped),
closely fitting one against another, with 2 seeds per scale; seeds irregularly 3-angled, 8–10 mm long, brown, with 3 narrow
wings.
Pollen Cones: in dangling panicles usually 10–14 cm long.
Bark: moderately thin, light reddish-brown to light brown, with shallow furrows dividing the broad, flat ridges that
sometimes separate into thin, fibrous scales.
Wood: sapwood pale yellowish white, merging more or less gradually into the heartwood; heartwood quite variable in
color, ranging from yellowish to light or dark brown, reddish brown, or almost blackish; wood with a greasy feel (especially
along the grain), often with a rancid odor (light colored wood sometimes odorless); grain generally straight and
even or uneven, coarse textured; growth rings distinct.
Habitat: rivers, lake margins, and swamps, occasionally in slightly brackish water; saturated and seasonally inundated
soils; the species is among the most tolerant of saturated soils with poor aeration. Though often seen growing in relatively
shallow water considerable distances from the shore of lakes, seeds of the species will germinate only on moist
but unflooded soil.
Range: Pineywoods and Post Oak Savannah west to Red River, Upshur, Brazos (possibly native), and Robertson cos. and
southwestern portion of East Texas in Bexar, Bastrop, Bell, Comal, Hays, and Travis cos.; also Gulf Prairies and Marshes
and eastern Edwards Plateau; primarily southeastern U.S. from DE s to FL west to OK and TX and up the Mississippi
drainage to IL and IN.
Principal Uses: BALD-CYPRESS has one of the most variable woods in the U.S. in many respects, so major uses depend on the
particular grade (particularly whether sapwood or heartwood). Most of the major uses rely on the wood’s decay resistance
and durability (particularly of old-growth wood) when exposed to conditions favorable to decay (e.g., the name
“the wood eternal”). Such uses include siding, beams, posts, pilings, timbers in docks and bridges, and coffins. The wood
is also used for millwork (doors, sash, and blinds, interior trim, and paneling), kitchen cabinets, shingles, boxes, and
crates. BALD-CYPRESS is additionally used for railroad ties. High quality old-growth bald-cypress has, for commercial
purposes, been exhausted.
Historical Uses: tanks, vats, silos, containers for corrosive chemicals, laundry appliances, greenhouses, ship- and
boatbuilding, stadium seats, shingles, cooperage (barrels).
Other Significant Information: BALD-CYPRESS has been growing in popularity as an ornamental tree for parks, large lawns,
and urban settings. While extremely tolerant of flooding (and thus dominant in some East Texas habitats), the species
does well in cultivation in upland situations and is reasonably drought tolerant (in natural settings it cannot compete
with hardwoods in uplands). At one time there were large numbers of huge, old BALD-CYPRESSES in East Texas, but because
of the value of the wood, almost all were cut for timber. A very few impressive, extremely old individuals escaped destruction
and can still be seen in the Big Thicket National Preserve. Fortunately, second or third growth tracts do occur
in state and federal parklands, forests, and preserves in Texas, especially in the Big Thicket National Preserve and at
Caddo Lake. This species is extremely long-lived and individuals up to nearly 1,700 years old have been discovered in
North Carolina, making it the longest lived tree species in eastern North America. While there have been various suggestions,
the function or functions of the “knees” remains unclear. All trees in East TX are var. distichum. Two other
varieties are known: Taxodium distichum var. imbricatum (Nutt.) Croom, POND-CYPRESS, native in the southeastern U.S.
west as far as eastern Louisiana and Taxodium distichum var. mexicanum Gordon, MEXICAN or MONTEZUMA BALD-
CYPRESS, which extends as far north as southern Texas. The seeds were an important food for the now extinct Carolina
parakeet.
Recognition in the Field: typically swollen-based trees of wet habitats with nearly globose, plum-sized, woody cones, and
when growing in or near water with distinctive “knees” (erect woody projections) from the roots; also with alternate,
linear, flat leaves, and deciduous twiglets (and thus leaves which are borne on the twiglets).