Pond Cypress | Live Trees | Taxodium Ascendens | Wet Tolerant Fast Growing Shade Tree

Taxodium Ascendens also known as Pond Cypress is similar to bald cypress in that the trunk is perfectly straight, pond cypress has a narrower crown, is smaller, and has a more open habit. he trunk grows unusually thick toward the base, even on young trees. This is thought to provide support for the tree in its wet habitat. The small seeds are used by some birds and squirrels. These plants are fast growers. It is found along the edges of streams and around the edge of swampy ground where water is standing. The bright green, awl-shaped leaves are arranged in an upright row formation along the branches when young, the leaves turn an attractive light brown in fall before dropping but the bare branches and light brown, ridged bark provide much landscape interest during the winter. The Pond Cypress has small scale leaves that are on branchlets that are held upright on the twigs. The Bald Cypress has needle leaves that are on horizontal branchlets. It is one of the few deciduous conifers that shed its leaves (and branchlets) in the fall. Young trees have a broad, conical form and mature trees have a tall, trunk with a large, buttressed base and spreading or ascending branches. The branches are often festooned with Spanish moss in the Deep South.