Fam: Cupressaceae
Spe.: Taxodium distichum (L.) Richard
Common name: Bald cypress, Swamp cypress.
Etymology: the name of the genus Taxodium means similar to the yew, due to the needle-like leaves arranged in two rows on short twigs like those of the yew; the specific epithet distichum derives from the Greek dίs twice and from stíchos order, row: arranged in two rows.
Description: Deciduous conifer native to the South of the USA, where it grows in swampy areas. Tree up to 40 tall, pyramidal when young and in the adult stage with a messy and flattened crown. The trunk, in marshy areas, develops a bell-shaped base (elephant's foot) with radical protuberances around it, called pneumatophores, which emerge from the water level and serve to supply the roots with air. The bark is red-brown.
The needle-like leaves are linear, alternate, narrowly lanceolate, soft, soft green, with a splendid autumn color from yellow to orange to rusty brown.
It is a monoecious plant, with separate male and female inflorescences but on the same plant. The male flowers are grouped in long yellow filaments, the female ones are small and green and develop round green cones that become brown with a woody consistency when ripe. In autumn the scales of the cone open, releasing the seeds, which are then dispersed by the wind.
Habitat: Southeastern United States
Properties and uses: Taxodium distichum is an ornamental plant planted near the banks of ponds.
Notes and Curiosities: It grows in humid plains, or seasonally flooded, in the sandy and silty bends of rivers and streams, even in marshy soil, where it survives, even in the absence of oxygen, thanks to its respiratory roots. It was among the first American trees introduced to Europe in 1640
Many confuse it with Metasequoia glyptostroboides, although some differences can be noted. For example, if T.disticum lives very close to a stream or a lake it will certainly emit aerial roots and the identification is certain. Furthermore, T. distichum has reddish shoots and smaller, thinner needles with a pointed tip. Furthermore, the arrangement of the needles on the branches in Metasequoia is opposite while in Tassodio it is alternate. The female cones in Metasequoia are devoid of protuberances or mucrones that the bald cypress has.
We can easily notice these characteristics because in the Heller garden there are both plants in an excellent state of conservation and every visitor can transform themselves into an expert botanist and put themselves to the test.