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Taxodium distichum (L.)Rich.
Bald-cypress
Swamp-cypress
Red-cypress
Florida native
This slow-growing tree can be found throughout most of Florida in lakes, swamps, floodplains and along streams. The range extends north to New York and west into Texas, mostly in the coastal plain, and up the Mississippi River drainage into southern Illinois.
The trunk of bald cypress is spreading at the base with a deep tap root and spreading roots that send up knees extending out of the soil and water. The purpose of these knees is not entirely clear, but they are believed to help both with support and gas exchange.
The vast cypress forests of the southeast United States have mostly been timbered, leaving few old-growth trees. The Suncoast chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society has produced a brochure called Why kill a tree to grow a flower? (pdf file) explaining the detriments of using cypress mulch and listing some alternatives that are available.
Several of the bald cypress photos on this page are of a tree that was known as The Senator. This tree, believed to be the oldest tree in Florida at thousands of years old was in Big Tree Park in Seminole County until it burned down in 2012.
There are more photographs of bald cypress trees on the Lake Disston page and the Dwarf Cypress page.
Taxodium distichum is a member of the Cupressaceae - Cypress family.
Other species of the Taxodium genus in the Wild Florida Photo database:
Taxodium ascendens - POND CYPRESS
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Nov 21, 2025
