Practical
Plants

Taxodium distichum

Swamp Cypress

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Taxodium genus in the family Taxodiaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
30 m
Spread
8 m
Fertility
Wind
Flower type
monoecious
Pollinators
Wind

Uses

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The resin in the cones is used as an analgesic for wounds[2][6].

Product or use
Analgesic

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The bark has been used to make cordage[7]. Wood - light, soft, not strong, moderately hard, easily worked, straight grained, very durable in damp soil, takes a good polish. It weighs 28lb per cubic foot[6]. The wood is not given to excessive warping or shrinking[6], it is used for construction, water pipes, vats etc[1][9][11][14][2][3][6].

Product or use
Fibre
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
South-eastern N. America - New Jersey to Florida and Texas.
Habitat
Wet sites that are under water for at least part of the year[14], and often overlying calcareous soils[8]. Often found where the water is brackish[5].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
aquatic
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline, very alkaline
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant
Salinity
tolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow late winter in a cold frame. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. If sowing a lot of seed you could sow it in early spring in an outdoor seedbed[12]. Allow the plants to grow on in the seedbed for two years and then plant them into their permanent positions in late autumn or early spring. Cuttings in the late summer.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Although this plant can be grown in wet soils and shallow water, it thrives in any soil and trees actually grow faster in normal unflooded soils[13]. Established plants succeed in standing water up to 60cm deep[5] - in such a situation the roots develop 'knees', curious cone-shaped structures that grow above the ground[6]. Tolerates the high pH of chalk streams[5]. Tolerates atmospheric pollution[5]. Fairly cold-tolerant, but branches can be damaged by temperatures below -10°c[5]. A fairly vigorous tree, it can grow up to 45cm in a year with up to 4cm increase in girth[4]. It has been planted for its timber in S. Europe, especially on alluvial soils[10]. Buds often begin to break in March, but trees do not come properly into leaf until June and growth in height rarely starts before June[4]. A very healthy species in Britain, rarely seen in anything but good health. It seems to be a very long-lived tree in this country with several specimens more than 250 years old[4]. Trees are thought to live for over 1,000 years in the wild[6]. Plants grow best in areas with warm summers[5]. They only produce fertile seeds after long hot summers[5]. The branches are brittle and subject to wind damage, but the tree usually recovers well[13]. Unlike most conifers, this species responds well to coppicing[13].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Vines. R. A. Trees of Central Texas. University of Texas Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-292-78958-3

    ↩1↩2

  3. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩

  4. Mitchell. A. F. Conifers in the British Isles. HMSO 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-11-710012-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  6. Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0292780206

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  7. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩

  8. Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950-00-00

    ↩

  9. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  10. ? Flora Europaea Cambridge University Press 1964-00-00

    ↩

  11. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  12. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩

  13. Rushforth. K. Conifers. Christopher Helm 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-7470-2801-X

    ↩1↩2↩3

  14. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2

Edit this page