Difference between revisions of "Taxodium"

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{{SPlantbox
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|familia=Cupressaceae
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|genus=Taxodium
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|habit=tree
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|lifespan=perennial
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|water=wet, moist
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|features=evergreen, deciduous
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|Temp Metric=°F
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|image=Taxodium distichum NRCSMS01010.jpg
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|image_width=180
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|image_caption=Bald Cypress forest
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}}
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'''''Taxodium''''' ({{pron-en|tækˈsoʊdiəm}})<ref>''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995:606–607</ref> is a [[genus]] of one to three [[species]] (depending on [[taxonomy|taxonomic]] opinion) of extremely [[flood]]-tolerant [[conifer]]s in the cypress family, [[Cupressaceae]]. The generic name is derived from the [[Latin]] word ''taxus'', meaning "[[Taxus|yew]]," and the [[Greek language|Greek]] word ''εἶδος'' (''eidos''), meaning "similar to."<ref name="Everett">{{cite book |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=KeGzp-YXrPYC& |title=The New York Botanical Garden Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horticulture |volume=10 |first=Thomas H. |last=Everett |publisher=Taylor & Francis |year=1982 |isbn=9780824072407 |page=3299}}</ref> Within the family, ''Taxodium'' is most closely related to [[Glyptostrobus|Chinese Swamp Cypress]] (''Glyptostrobus pensilis'') and [[Cryptomeria|Sugi]] (''Cryptomeria japonica'').
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Species of ''Taxodium'' occur in the southern part of the [[North America]]n continent and are [[deciduous]] in the north and semi-evergreen to [[evergreen]] in the south. They are large [[tree]]s, reaching {{convert|100|-|150|ft|m|abbr=on}} tall and {{convert|2|-|3|m|ft|abbr=on}} (exceptionally {{convert|11|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=/}}) trunk diameter. The needle-like [[leaf|leaves]], {{convert|0.5|-|2|cm|in|abbr=on}} long, are borne spirally on the [[shoot]]s, twisted at the base so as to appear in two flat rows on either side of the shoot. The [[conifer cone|cones]] are globose, {{convert|2|-|3.5|cm|in|abbr=on}} diameter, with 10-25 scales, each scale with 1-2 [[seed]]s; they are mature in 7-9 months after [[pollination]], when they disintegrate to release the seeds. The male ([[pollen]]) cones are produced in pendulous [[raceme]]s, and shed their pollen in early spring.
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{{Inc|
 
{{Inc|
 
Taxodium (alluding to the similarity of the foliage to that of Taxus). Syn., Glyptostrobus, Schubertia. Pinaceae. Ornamental woody plants, grown chiefly for their graceful feathery foliage.
 
Taxodium (alluding to the similarity of the foliage to that of Taxus). Syn., Glyptostrobus, Schubertia. Pinaceae. Ornamental woody plants, grown chiefly for their graceful feathery foliage.
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{{Taxobox
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==Cultivation==
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| color = lightgreen
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| name = ''Taxodium''
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| image = Taxodium distichum NRCSMS01010.jpg
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===Propagation===
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| image_width = 270px
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| image_caption = Bald Cypress forest <br>in a central [[Mississippi]] lake
 
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| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
 
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| divisio = [[Pinophyta]]
 
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| classis = [[Pinophyta|Pinopsida]]
 
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| ordo = [[Pinales]]
 
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| familia = [[Cupressaceae]]
 
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| genus = '''''Taxodium'''''
 
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| genus_authority = [[Louis Claude Richard|Rich.]]
 
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| subdivision_ranks = Species
 
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| subdivision =  
 
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''[[Taxodium ascendens]]'' - Pond Cypress<br/>
 
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''[[Taxodium distichum]]'' - Bald Cypress<br/>
 
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''[[Taxodium mucronatum]]'' - Montezuma Cypress
 
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}}
 
  
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'''''Taxodium''''' is a [[genus]] of one to three [[species]] (depending on [[taxonomy|taxonomic]] opinion) of extremely flood-tolerant [[conifer]]s in the cypress family, [[Cupressaceae]]. It is one of several genera in the family that are commonly known as "cypresses". Within the family, ''Taxodium'' is most closely related to [[Glyptostrobus|Chinese Swamp Cypress]] (''Glyptostrobus pensilis'') and [[Cryptomeria|Sugi]] (''Cryptomeria japonica'').
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===Pests and diseases===
  
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Species of ''Taxodium'' occur in the southern part of the [[North America]]n continent and are [[deciduous]] in the north and semi-evergreen to [[evergreen]] in the south. They are large [[tree]]s, reaching 30-45 m tall and 2-3 m (exceptionally 11 m) trunk diameter. The needle-like [[leaf|leaves]], 0.5-2 cm long, are borne spirally on the shoots, twisted at the base so as to appear in two flat rows on either side of the shoot. The [[conifer cone|cones]] are globose, 2-3.5 cm diameter, with 10-25 scales, each scale with 1-2 [[seed]]s; they are mature in 7-9 months after pollination, when they disintegrate to release the seeds. The male (pollen) cones are produced in pendulous racemes, and shed their pollen in early spring.
 
  
 
== Species ==
 
== Species ==
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The three [[taxon|taxa]] of ''Taxodium'' are treated here as distinct species, though some [[botanist]]s treat them in just one or two species, with the others considered as varieties of the first described. The three are distinct in [[ecology]], growing in different environments, but hybridise where they meet.
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The three [[taxon|taxa]] of ''Taxodium'' are treated here as distinct species, though some [[botanist]]s treat them in just one or two species, with the others considered as varieties of the first described. The three are distinct in [[ecology]], growing in different environments, but [[Hybrid (biology)|hybridise]] where they meet.
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*''[[Taxodium ascendens]]'' <small>[[Adolphe Theodore Brongniart|Brongn.]]</small> - Pond Cypress
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The Pond Cypress occurs within the range of Bald Cypress, but only on the southeastern coastal plain from [[North Carolina]] to [[Louisiana]]. It occurs in still [[Blackwater (river)|blackwater]] rivers, ponds and swamps without [[silt]]-rich flood deposits.
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*''[[Taxodium distichum]]'' <small>([[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]) [[Louis Claude Richard|Rich.]]</small> - Bald Cypress
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The most familiar species in the genus is the Bald Cypress, native to much of the [[Southeastern United States|southeastern]] [[United States]], from [[Delaware]] to [[Texas]], especially [[Louisiana]] and inland up the [[Mississippi River]] to southern [[Indiana]]. It occurs mainly along rivers with silt-rich flood deposits.
  
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*''[[Taxodium distichum]]'' - '''Bald Cypress'''
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*''[[Taxodium mucronatum]]'' <small>[[Michele Tenore|Ten.]], 1853</small> - Montezuma Cypress, Ahuehuete
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The most familiar species in the genus is the Bald Cypress, native to much of the southeastern [[United States]], from [[Delaware]] to [[Texas]] and inland up the [[Mississippi River]] to southern [[Indiana]]. It occurs mainly along rivers with silt-rich flood deposits.
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The Montezuma Cypress occurs from the Lower [[Rio Grande Valley]] south to the highlands of southern [[Mexico]], and differs from the other two species in being substantially evergreen. A specimen in [[Santa María del Tule, Oaxaca]], the [[Árbol del Tule]], is {{convert|43|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall and has the greatest trunk thickness of all trees, {{convert|11.42|m|ft|abbr=on}} in diameter. It is a [[Riparian zone|riparian]] tree, occurring on the banks of streams and rivers, not in swamps like the Bald and Pond Cypresses.
  
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*''[[Taxodium ascendens]]'' - '''Pond Cypress'''
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==Gallery==
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The Pond Cypress occurs within the range of Bald Cypress, but only on the southeastern coastal plain from [[North Carolina]] to [[Louisiana]]. It occurs in still [[Blackwater (river)|blackwater]] rivers, ponds and swamps without silt-rich flood deposits.
 
  
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*''[[Taxodium mucronatum]]'' - '''Montezuma Cypress'''
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<gallery perrow=5>
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The Montezuma Cypress occurs from the [[Rio Grande]] south to the highlands of southern [[Mexico]], and differs from the other two species in being substantially evergreen. A specimen at Santa Maria del Tule in [[Oaxaca (state)|Oaxaca]], the [[Árbol del Tule]], is 43 m tall and has the greatest trunk thickness of any living tree, 11.42 m in diameter. It is a riparian tree, occurring on the banks of streams and rivers, not in swamps like the Bald and Pond cypress.
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Image:Upload.png| photo 1
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Image:Upload.png| photo 2
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Image:Upload.png| photo 3
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</gallery>
  
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== Uses ==
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==References==
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[[Image:Cypress knee 6016.JPG|thumb|left|Cypress knees at low water, Wee Tee Lake, SC]]
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<references/>
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The trees are especially prized for their [[wood]], of which the ''heartwood'' is extremely rot and termite resistant, with the notable exception of the host-specific [[Pecky Rot fungus]] (''Stereum taxodii''), which causes some damaged trees to become hollow and thus useless for timber. "A biochemical called cypressene is believed to act as a natural preservative in the heartwood, but it takes many decades to build up in the wood, making lumber cut from old-growth trees much more resistant to decay than lumber from younger trees". - Sternberg, G., ''Native Trees for North American Landscapes'' pp. 476. Bald Cypress wood was much used in former days in southeastern US for shingles. The shredded [[bark]] of these trees is used as a [[mulch]], although the current harvest rate for this product is not sustainable and is causing substantial [[natural environment|environment]]al damage especially in the south where cutting boundaries are not being followed.
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<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
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<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
  
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== External links and references ==
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==External links==
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*[http://www.conifers.org/cu/tax/index.htm Gymnosperm Database - Taxodium]
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*{{wplink}}
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*[http://www.audubon.org/local/sanctuary/corkscrew/ Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary website]
 
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*National Audubon Society, undated. ''Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary. A Companion Field Guide''. Artype Inc., Ft. Myers. 25 p.
 
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*[[Guy Sternberg|Sternberg, G.]], (2004) ''Native Trees for North American Landscapes'' pp. 476. Timber Press, Inc.
 
  
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[[Category:Cupressaceae]]
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{{stub}}
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__NOTOC__

Latest revision as of 19:04, 19 April 2010


Bald Cypress forest


Plant Characteristics
Habit   tree

Lifespan: ⌛ perennial
Cultivation
Water: ◍ wet, moist
Features: ✓ evergreen, deciduous
Scientific Names

Cupressaceae >

Taxodium >


Taxodium (pronounced /tækˈsoʊdiəm/)[1] is a genus of one to three species (depending on taxonomic opinion) of extremely flood-tolerant conifers in the cypress family, Cupressaceae. The generic name is derived from the Latin word taxus, meaning "yew," and the Greek word εἶδος (eidos), meaning "similar to."[2] Within the family, Taxodium is most closely related to Chinese Swamp Cypress (Glyptostrobus pensilis) and Sugi (Cryptomeria japonica).

Species of Taxodium occur in the southern part of the North American continent and are deciduous in the north and semi-evergreen to evergreen in the south. They are large trees, reaching 100 - 150 ft tall and 2 - 3 m (exceptionally 11 m ft ) trunk diameter. The needle-like leaves, 0.5 - 2 cm long, are borne spirally on the shoots, twisted at the base so as to appear in two flat rows on either side of the shoot. The cones are globose, 2 - 3.5 cm diameter, with 10-25 scales, each scale with 1-2 seeds; they are mature in 7-9 months after pollination, when they disintegrate to release the seeds. The male (pollen) cones are produced in pendulous racemes, and shed their pollen in early spring.


Read about Taxodium in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Taxodium (alluding to the similarity of the foliage to that of Taxus). Syn., Glyptostrobus, Schubertia. Pinaceae. Ornamental woody plants, grown chiefly for their graceful feathery foliage.

Deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs: lvs. alternate, linear, usually 2-ranked, falling off in autumn or the second year together with the short lateral branchlets: fls. monoecious, small; staminate fls. catkin-like, consisting of spirally arranged anthers, with 4-9 anther- cells and forming terminal panicles; pistillate fls. solitary or in pairs at the ends of branchlets of the previous year, composed of imbricated scales bearing 2 ovules inside at the base: cone globose or nearly so, maturing the first year, consisting of spirally arranged woody scales enlarged at the apex into an irregularly 4-sided disk with a mucro in the middle and toward the base narrowed into a slender stalk; 2 triangular, winged seeds under each scale; cotyledons 4-9.—Two species in N. Amer. and 1 in China.

Of the three species, the only one well known in cultivation is the bald cypress. T. distichum, a tall pyramidal deciduous tree with small linear two-ranked leaves and small globose cones. It is hardy as far north as New England and is a very desirable tree for park planting. Its light green feathery foliage and the narrow pyramidal habit which it usually retains in cultivation give it a very distinct appearance. In its native habitat it forms in old age a broad round-topped head sometimes 100 feet across and has the trunk much enlarged at the base by huge often hollow buttresses projecting in all directions and terminating in long horizontal roots. From these roots spring the peculiar cypress knees, pyramidal protuberances composed of a very light, soft, spongy wood and spongy bark. These sometimes attain a height of 10 feet and with age usually become hollow. From the under side of the horizontal roots large anchor-roots are sent perpendicularly into the earth and help to anchor the tree firmly in the swampy yielding soil. The knees are thought by some to be formed for the purpose of strengthening this root-system, since they are chiefly found opposite to the anchor-roots, but their main purpose is probably to bring air to the roots during the several weeks or months when the swamps are covered with water. The knees always grow high enough to rise above the surface of the water (see, also, G. F. 3, pp. 2, 21, 22, 57). The bald cypress is one of the most valuable timber trees of North America. The wood is brown, light and soft, close and straight-grained, but not strong; it is easily worked, durable in the soil and much used for construction. The bald cypress thrives best in moist sandy soil, but also does well in drier situations. The habit seems to depend somewhat on the degree of moisture; in drier soil the head is more narrow-pyramidal, in moist soil broader and more spreading. Propagated by seeds sown in spring and the varieties by grafting on seedling stock early in spring in the greenhouse; also by cuttings in sand constantly saturated with water or grown in water alone, under glass.

T. heterophyllum, Brongn. (Glyptostrobus heterophyllus, Endl.). Shrub, 10 ft. high: lower branches pendulous: lvs. linear and scale-like on the same plant: cones ovoid, 3/4 in. long. China. Tender and rarely cult. Often confounded with varieties of T. distichum.


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Cultivation

Propagation

Pests and diseases

Species

The three taxa of Taxodium are treated here as distinct species, though some botanists treat them in just one or two species, with the others considered as varieties of the first described. The three are distinct in ecology, growing in different environments, but hybridise where they meet.

The Pond Cypress occurs within the range of Bald Cypress, but only on the southeastern coastal plain from North Carolina to Louisiana. It occurs in still blackwater rivers, ponds and swamps without silt-rich flood deposits.

The most familiar species in the genus is the Bald Cypress, native to much of the southeastern United States, from Delaware to Texas, especially Louisiana and inland up the Mississippi River to southern Indiana. It occurs mainly along rivers with silt-rich flood deposits.

The Montezuma Cypress occurs from the Lower Rio Grande Valley south to the highlands of southern Mexico, and differs from the other two species in being substantially evergreen. A specimen in Santa María del Tule, Oaxaca, the Árbol del Tule, is 43 m ft tall and has the greatest trunk thickness of all trees, 11.42 m ft in diameter. It is a riparian tree, occurring on the banks of streams and rivers, not in swamps like the Bald and Pond Cypresses.

Gallery

  • photo 1

  • photo 2

  • photo 3

References

  1. ↑ Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606–607
  2. ↑ Everett, Thomas H. (1982). The New York Botanical Garden Illustrated Encyclopedia of Horticulture. 10. Taylor & Francis. p. 3299. ISBN 9780824072407. http://books.google.com/books?id=KeGzp-YXrPYC&. 

External links


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