keys to the vascular plants of east texas - Botanical Research ...

394 CUPRESSACEAE/TAXODIUM
monly limestone or gypsum; Bell and Hill (Turner et al. 2003) cos. near extreme w margin of
East TX, mainly in w 1/2 of TX; NM, OK, and TX. This species is similar to J. ashei, but according
to Correll (1966b), the branchlets of J. pinchotii tend to be more slender and erect than the
usually stiffish, recurved branchlets of J. ashei.
Juniperus virginiana L. var. virginiana, (of Virginia), EASTERN RED-CEDAR, RED-CEDAR, VIRGINIA
RED-CEDAR, RED SAVIN, PENCIL-CEDAR, RED JUNIPER. Medium to large tree to 30 m tall, typically
much smaller, usually with one main trunk; not resprouting after cutting or burning; bark reddish
brown; ovulate cones 5–8 mm long, blue to bluish black or bluish purple, glaucous, resinous;
seeds 1–2(–3), the hilum small, inconspicuous. Dry sandy and rocky soils, old fields,
fencerows, forest margins; Pineywoods and Gulf Prairies and Marshes w to West Cross Timbers
and Edwards Plateau; Little (1971) mapped the species in TX as far w as Wichita Co. in the Rolling
Plains; Turner et al. (2003) mapped localities in the Panhandle; se Canada and e US w to ND
and TX. This is a problematic invader of native prairies under conditions of fire suppression.
The aromatic, moth-repelling heartwood is used for cedar chests and closets. RED-CEDAR symbolized
the tree of life for a number of Native American tribes and was burned in sweat lodges
and in purification rituals (Kindscher 1992). Juniperus virginiana var. silicicola (Small) E. Murray
[J. silicicola (Small) L.H. Bailey], SOUTHERN or COASTAL RED-CEDAR, has been erroneously reported
from TX (e.g., Little 1971); it is now known to occur only in FL, GA, NC, and SC (Adams
1986, 1993).
TAXODIUM Rich. BALD-CYPRESS
AA genus of a single species (sometimes divided into 3) ranging from the United States
through Mexico to Guatemala (Watson 1993); this is one of only 11 tree genera endemic to e
North America (and adjacent tropical areas) (Little 1983). It is frequently segregated with related
taxa into the Taxodiaceae (REDWOOD FAMILY). (Taxus, generic name of yew, and Greek,
oides, like)
REFERENCES: Watson 1985, 1993; Keeland & Young 1997; Tsumura et al. 1999.
Taxodium distichum (L.) Rich. var. distichum, (in two ranks), BALD-CYPRESS, SOUTHERN-CYPRESS,
SOUTHERN BALD-CYPRESS. State tree of Louisiana. Monoecious (pollen cones and seed cones on
the same tree), deciduous trees to 50 m tall with a swollen, often buttressed base; in frequently
flooded areas often with “knees” (erect woody projections from the roots); shoots dimorphic;
long shoots indeterminate; short shoots (slender leafy twiglets) deciduous with the leaves in
fall, pendent to horizontally spreading; leaves 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; staminate (pollen) cones ca. 2 mm in diam., in drooping panicles 10–12 cm
long; ovulate (seed) cones usually nearly globose, to ca. 25(–40) mm in diam., the scales somewhat
peltate. Swamps and along water courses and lake margins; Pineywoods and Post Oak Savannah
w to Red River, Upshur (BRIT), Brazos (possibly native, M. Reed, pers. obs.) and Robertson
(Turner et al. 2003) cos. and sw portion of East TX in Bexar (BAYLU), Bastrop, Bell, Comal,
Hays, and Travis (Turner et al. 2003) cos.; also Gulf Prairies and Marshes and e Edwards Plateau;
e U.S. from NY s to FL w to TX and MO. Pollen shed in spring; seeds in fall. This species dominates
the landscape in some swampy situations, and huge populations can be found (e.g.,
Caddo Lake, Big Thicket). BALD-CYPRESS is an important timber tree known for its decay-resistant
wood, even when in contact with soil; the heartwood is so durable that it has been referred
to as “the wood eternal” (Hart & Price 1990). At one time there were large numbers of huge
BALD-CYPRESSES in East TX, but because of the value of the wood, most were cut for timber. A
very few impressive, extremely old individuals escaped destruction and can still be seen in the
Big Thicket National Preserve in the s part of the Pineywoods. This species is extremely long
lived and individuals up to ca. 1,700 years old have have been discovered in North Carolina