Falling Water Bald Cypress

Taxodium distichum

Overview

The large Falling Water Bald-Cypress Tree can grow to heights of 70 feet at moderate pace, enjoying the light of full sun. Most cone bearing trees keep their needles throughout the winter, but not this bal-cypress, as it loses them and grows them back in the spring time. They turn a bright red in the fall and grow back to a light to medium green in the spring. 

Cultivation

The Falling Water Bald-Cypress is usually found next to roadways or in parks, places where it has room to grow. A wonderful thing about this tree is its adaptability, as it does not matter what type of soil it is planted in, wet, dry, or swampy. It would rather be planted in acidic soil, because slight yellowing may occur in alkali soils. The bark on this tree also gives off a reddish-gray color, similar to the cones it bears into the winter. 

Biodiversity Sustained

The Bald-Cypress can be home to birds, small mammals, and water birds, but is rather susceptible to twig blight, spider mite, gall forming mite, and cypress moths. 

On Xavier's Campus, over the Next Decade, this Tree will:

Stormwater Runoff Intercepted:  Gallons

CO2 Reduction:  lbs

Electricity Savings:  kilowatt/hours

Environmental Benefits (in US dollars): $