baldcypress (Taxodium distichum)

Third place champion bald cypress in Canon City.

Species info:

Leaves: Deciduous, linear, featherlike needles arranged in two ranks; ½–¾ inch long; light green to yellow-green in summer, turning orange to rust-red in fall.

Leaflets: None (needles are single, not compound).

Leaf Surface: Soft, flat, and flexible; smooth to the touch.

Bark: Fibrous, reddish-brown to ashy gray; thin and peeling in narrow vertical strips.

Twigs: Light brown when young, maturing to gray-brown.

Flowers: Non-showy; produced in drooping 4-inch panicles in spring.

Fruit: Rounded cones ¾–1 inch in diameter; green and leathery when young, becoming woody, wrinkled, and dark gray at maturity.

Botanical: Taxodium distichum

Family: Cupressaceae

Mature Height: 50–80 feet

Canopy Spread: ~30 feet; broader with age

Foliage Type: Deciduous conifer

Tree Shape: Pyramidal when young; becomes broad and flat-topped with age

Growth Rate: Moderate

Flower: Not showy

Fruit: Cone

Fall Color: Orange to rust-red

Water Use: Adaptable—tolerates wet sites, periodic flooding, and also performs well in dry soils

Hardiness: Zones 4–11

Soil Preference: Prefers moist, acidic to neutral soils; tolerates wet, dry, compacted soils; may become chlorotic in high-pH soils

Sun Exposure: Full sun

Wildlife Value: Seeds eaten by birds and small mammals; provides habitat and cover

Wood: Extremely decay-resistant (“eternal wood”); historically valued for construction, water-exposed structures, and rot-resistant lumber

Pests/Pathogens: Relatively pest-free and disease-free

Planting Recommendations: Recommended for most sites, but careful site selection is required due to cold hardiness

Information Sources:

• Front Range Tree Recommendation List

• Michael Dirr, Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (University of Georgia, 1990)

• Virginia Tech -- College of Natural Resources Plant Fact Sheet, USDA NRCS