View source for Phil Bendle Collection:Taxodium distichum (Swamp Cypress)

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'''Kingdom:''' Plantae<br />
'''Division:''' Pinophyta<br />
'''Class:''' Pinopsida<br />
'''Order:''' Pinales<br />
'''Family:''' Cupressaceae<br />
'''Genus:''' Taxodium<br />
'''Species:''' T. distichum<br />
'''Binomial name:''' Taxodium distichum<br />
'''Common name:''' Swamp Cypress, Baldcypress, Bald Cypress

Taxodium distichum is a species of conifer native to the south-eastern United States. It is a tree, reaching 25-40 m (rarely to 44 m) tall and a trunk diameter of 2-3 m, rarely to 5 m.<br />
The bark is grey-brown to red-brown, shallowly vertically fissured, with a stringy texture. The leaves are borne on deciduous branchlets that are spirally arranged on the stem but twisted at the base to lie in two horizontal ranks, 1-2 cm long and 1-2 mm broad; unlike most other species in the family Cupressaceae, it is deciduous, losing the leaves in the winter months, hence the name 'bald'. It is monoecious.<br />
Male and female strobili mature in about 12 months; they are produced from buds formed in the late fall, with pollination in early winter. The seed cones are green maturing gray-brown, globular, 2-3.5 cm in diameter. They have from 20-30 spirally arranged four-sided scales each bearing one or two (rarely three) triangular seeds. The number of seeds per cone ranges from 20-40. The cones disintegrate when mature to release the large seeds. The seeds are 5-10 mm long, the largest of any species in the cypress family, and are produced every year but with heavy crops every three to five years. The seedlings have 3-9 (most often 6) cotyledons.

Taxodium distichum <br />
[[File:Swamp cypress.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]] 

Swamp cypress foliage<br />
[[File:Swamp cypress-1.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]]

Taxodium distichum in autumn colours..Photographed Ngunguru Road, East Whangarei mid-May.<br />
[[File:1-Taxodium distichum .JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]]<br />
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[[File:1-Swamp cypress.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]]<br />


Swamp Cypress trunk<br />
[[File:Swamp cypress-2.JPG|frameless|upright 2.25]]


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[[Category:Trees (Exotic)]]
[[Category:Phil Bendle Collection]]