Bald Cypress vs Pond Cypress
Everyone has heard of the Bald Cypress, but few have heard of the Pond Cypress.
The reason is because the two are recognized as the same species by most botanists.
Pond Cypress is a wild variety of Bald Cypress.
The bark of Pond Cypress has a darker more red tone than Bald Cypress,
and the foliage is compacted into strings the point up.
Pond Cypress is known for growing more upright than the Bald Cypress, but still has a
spread with age.
The both mature to a height of 75'-100' tall.
The Bald Cypress has a width of 30' or so while the Pond Cypress has a width of 10'-15'.
The Bald Cypress extends up the Mississippi River up Southern tip of Indiana, whilst the
Pond Cypress
does not.
The Pond Cypress grows up along the East Coast from Delaware down to South Florida
in the Everglades
over to Eastern Louisiana.
The Bald Cypress grows in the same areas of the South and East Coast as Pond
Cyprsss.
The botanical name of Bald Cypress is Taxodium distichum.
The Botanical name of Pond Cypress is distichum var. imbricatum.
Ecologists however classify it as it's own species
because it "Occurs mainly in still blackwater rivers, ponds and swamps without silt-rich
flood deposits.
It predominates in cypress dome habitats."
Ecologists give the Pond Cypress this name: 'Taxodium ascendens' Whether they are
the same species
or not,
they both began as the same species not long ago in the evolutionary timeline before
splitting off.
This is why they are so similar. While the Bald Cypress native habitat grows in those
and more diverse
environments than Pond Cyprsss.
Even though both trees naturally grow mostly in swamps and wet areas they are
surprisingly very
drought tolerant.
They are deciduous Conifers meaning they are not Evergreen as they drop their foliage
in the Fall.
The Pond Cypress is hardy in USDA Zones 5-11.
The Bald Cypress is more cold hardy in zones 4-11.
The reason is because the two are recognized as the same species by most botanists.
Pond Cypress is a wild variety of Bald Cypress.
The bark of Pond Cypress has a darker more red tone than Bald Cypress,
and the foliage is compacted into strings the point up.
Pond Cypress is known for growing more upright than the Bald Cypress, but still has a
spread with age.
The both mature to a height of 75'-100' tall.
The Bald Cypress has a width of 30' or so while the Pond Cypress has a width of 10'-15'.
The Bald Cypress extends up the Mississippi River up Southern tip of Indiana, whilst the
Pond Cypress
does not.
The Pond Cypress grows up along the East Coast from Delaware down to South Florida
in the Everglades
over to Eastern Louisiana.
The Bald Cypress grows in the same areas of the South and East Coast as Pond
Cyprsss.
The botanical name of Bald Cypress is Taxodium distichum.
The Botanical name of Pond Cypress is distichum var. imbricatum.
Ecologists however classify it as it's own species
because it "Occurs mainly in still blackwater rivers, ponds and swamps without silt-rich
flood deposits.
It predominates in cypress dome habitats."
Ecologists give the Pond Cypress this name: 'Taxodium ascendens' Whether they are
the same species
or not,
they both began as the same species not long ago in the evolutionary timeline before
splitting off.
This is why they are so similar. While the Bald Cypress native habitat grows in those
and more diverse
environments than Pond Cyprsss.
Even though both trees naturally grow mostly in swamps and wet areas they are
surprisingly very
drought tolerant.
They are deciduous Conifers meaning they are not Evergreen as they drop their foliage
in the Fall.
The Pond Cypress is hardy in USDA Zones 5-11.
The Bald Cypress is more cold hardy in zones 4-11.
•
The first two pictures are mine, the others are from the Internet.
*Quote is from Wikipedia
Two Pictures of Pond Cypress landscaped in Carmel, IN (USDA Zone 5b)
Bald Cypress vs Pond Cypress
Pond Cypress Native Range
Bald Cypress Native Range
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