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Project Noah Nature School
Taxodium distichum
This tree is deciduous, losing its leaves in the winter months, hence the name 'bald'. The main trunks are surrounded by cypress knees. These are woody projections from the root system project above the ground or water. Their function was once thought to be to provide oxygen to the roots, which grow in the low dissolved oxygen (DO) waters typical of a swamp (as in mangroves). However, evidence for this is scant; in fact, roots of swamp-dwelling specimens whose knees are removed do not decrease in oxygen content and the trees continue to thrive. Another more likely function is structural support and stabilization. Bald cypress is one of the few conifer species that sprouts.
Alongside a local lake
Spotted on Dec 23, 2012
Submitted on Dec 25, 2012
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