Baldcypress

Description:

Taxodium distichum is a large, slowly growing, and long lived tree. It typically grows to heights of 30–35 m (100–120 ft) and to a trunk diameter of 1–2 m (3–6 ft). The main trunks are surrounded by cypress knees. The bark is grayish brown to reddish brown, thin, and fibrous with a stringy texture; it has a vertically interwoven pattern of shallow ridges and narrow furrows. The leaves are alternate and linear, with flat blades borne on the twigs that are spirally arranged on the stems, 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, i. e., it loses its leaves in winter, hence the appellation of "bald". It is monoecious, i. e., has both staminate flowers and carpellate flowers on every plant, with male and female flowers forming on slender tassel-like structures near the edge of branchlets. The male and female strobili are produced from buds formed in late autumn, with pollination in early winter, and mature in circa 12 months. The seed cones are green and mature to grayish brown, globular, and 2-3.5 cm in diameter. They have from 20 to 30 spirally arranged, four-sided scales, each bearing one, two, or rarely three triangular seeds. There are 20-40 seeds per cone. The cones disintegrate at maturity to release the large seeds. The seeds are 5–10 mm long, the largest of any species of Cupressaceae, and are produced every year, with heavy crops every three to five years. -Wikipedia.

Habitat:

Spotted on the shores of Lake Norrell.