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Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas - Radford, Ahles, Bell
Copyright - UNC Press 1998, 1999. All Rights Reserved.



17. TAXODIACEAE

1. TAXODIUM Richard BALD CYPRESS



Large, monoecious, deciduous trees; when young, of conical shape, but broad near the top when old, with horizontal branches crowning a long, bare trunk. Leaves light green, needle-like or flat-linear on slender twigs 5-12 cm long that drop with the leaves in the fall. Male and female cones nearly spherical, sporophylls peltate, female cones woody; seeds winged or angled. When in very wet soil or in soil frequently flooded, the base tends to grow larger with lighter, more porous wood. Under these conditions the roots send up unbranched shoots, "knees", also with light, porous wood. When subject to forest fire the light porous base is apt burn, felling the tree, but leaving the unburned log. The wood is highly valued for its resistance to decay.