Taxodium ascendens (Pond Cypress)

Adaptable and wind-tolerant, Taxodium ascendens (Pond Cypress) is a deciduous coniferous tree of great beauty. It features a narrowly conical or columnar form that enhances many landscapes. Unlike most cone-bearing trees, Pond Cypress loses its needles each winter and grows a new set in spring. Its delicate foliage sprays of soft, bright green, awl-shaped leaves, turns rich shades of orange, cinnamon, and golden-brown in the fall, before dropping and revealing the light brown, ridged bark. Small ovoid, purplish-green cones mature to brown. Flared at the base, its trunk develops knobby growths ('knees') when grown in waterlogged soils. Long-lived, Pond Cypress has outstanding ornamental features and deserves a spot in the landscape. A spectacular tree for stream banks or pond edges, it can also be grown in dry locations and could make an attractive street tree for a very narrow space.

• Grows up to 50-60 ft. tall (15-18 m) and 10-15 ft. wide (3-5 m).
• This plant is easily grown in full sun to part shade in preferably acid, moist, or poorly drained soils.
• Virtually pest and disease free.
• No pruning required
• Propagate by grafting in late winter
• Native to the southeastern United States, from southern Delaware to southeastern Louisiana and south into Florida.