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{{SPlantbox
{{SPlantbox
|familia=Cupressaceae
|genus=Taxodium
|genus=Taxodium
|habit=tree
|lifespan=perennial
|water=wet, moist
|features=evergreen, deciduous
|Temp Metric=°F
|Temp Metric=°F
|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
|image=Taxodium distichum NRCSMS01010.jpg
|image=Upload.png
|image_width=180
|image_width=240
|image_caption=Bald Cypress forest
}}
}}
'''''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'').
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.
{{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.
}}
}}
==Cultivation==
===Propagation===
===Pests and diseases===
== Species ==
== Species ==
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.
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.
*''[[Taxodium ascendens]]'' <small>[[Adolphe Theodore Brongniart|Brongn.]]</small> - Pond Cypress
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.
*''[[Taxodium distichum]]'' <small>([[Carl Linnaeus|L.]]) [[Louis Claude Richard|Rich.]]</small> - Bald Cypress
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.
*''[[Taxodium distichum]]'' - '''Bald Cypress'''
*''[[Taxodium mucronatum]]'' <small>[[Michele Tenore|Ten.]], 1853</small> - Montezuma Cypress, Ahuehuete
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.
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.
==Gallery==
<gallery perrow=5>
Image:Upload.png| photo 1
Image:Upload.png| photo 2
Image:Upload.png| photo 3
</gallery>
== Uses ==
==References==
<references/>
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.
<!--- xxxxx *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381 -->
<!--- xxxxx *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432 -->
<!--- xxxxx *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608 -->
== External links and references ==
==External links==
*[http://www.conifers.org/cu/tax/index.htm Gymnosperm Database - Taxodium]
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