Symbols of the Deep South, baldcypress trees are native to the Coastal Plain, from the Chesapeake Bay to Texas and grow along the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys, from southwest Indiana to Louisiana. These majestic trees, which may live for more than 1200 years, are related to California redwoods; though conifers, they are deciduous, dropping their feathery needles (and becoming bald) during the colder months of the year.
Since their seeds must germinate in moist soil, baldcypress favor freshwater, riparian areas, where they form vast swamps with other water-loving trees such as red maple, sweet gum and sycamore. Towering up to 150 feet and achieving a trunk diameter of up to 10 feet, they are easily recognized by their fluted base, which is surrounded by "cypress knees;" originally thought to assist with gas exchange, these knobby projections of the root system are now thought to stabilize these massive trees in the boggy soil. Baldcypress are often festooned with Spanish moss and are further identified by their globular, grayish cones, which release large, triangular seeds.
Home to a wide variety of wildlife, including herons, egrets, wood storks, wood ducks, riparian songbirds, cottonmouths and river otters, baldcypress swamps have long been maintained by wildfire; since they grow rapidly during their first years of life, the baldcypress have a competitive advantage, quickly shading out the saplings of other tree species. While they will not reproduce at northern latitudes, baldcypress adapt well to drier, colder climates and are widely planted as ornamentals as far north as southern Canada; however, when not growing in swampy areas, they do not form their characteristic cypress knees.
