Bald Cypress Tree

Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) is a conifer that drops its needles every fall. The oldest known tree, on North Carolina's Black River, is at least 2,624 years old. We ship bare-root bald cypress trees in 1-2, 2-3 and 3-4 foot sizes, in packs of 25 to 500, for wet lots, pond edges, shade planting and restoration.

Bald Cypress Size, Zones and Sun

A bald cypress runs 35 to 120 feet tall on a trunk 3 to 7 feet wide. The tallest one on record, near Williamsburg, Virginia, is about 145 feet. Full sun suits it best. Flooding does not bother it, and it also does well on drier, well-drained ground. Our trees are hardy in zones 5-9.

Needles and Fall Color

Each needle is under an inch long. In autumn they go yellow, then a rusty copper-red, and the whole tree sheds them. Cones start green and finish brown. The seed is the biggest in the cypress family, and it floats, so floodwater carries it downstream.

Knees and Buttressed Trunks

In a swamp you will see knees, woody stumps that push up from the roots through the water. People once thought they brought air to the roots. That idea has little support now, and the better guess is that they help hold the tree up. Trees on flood-prone ground also have a flared base that runs up to the high-water line, and hurricanes rarely knock them over.

Bald Cypress Wood

The heartwood resists rot, so it has been used for fence posts, flooring, doors, shingles, boat planking and caskets. Read why in our piece on the environmental significance of trees.

Good to Know About Bald Cypress

Newly planted trees do best in saturated soil without standing water covering the top. See our list of trees for wet soil and drainage fixes for sites that stay wet.

Bald Cypress Sizes, Packs and Shipping

Bald cypress trees ship bare-root in November, in three heights and packs of 25, 50, 100 and 500. Volume pricing available. Browse more trees for sale.