Cypress Trees in Florida

There is a retention pond right outside my condo, and growing in it are five cypress trees. Since I live on fourth floor, I get the pleasure of watching birds and other wildlife in the limbs. I call it the doubletree hotel, since my best view is of the two largest cypress.

Look at any freshwater area in Florida and you will see cypress trees.  These deciduous conifers shed their leaves and cones each fall.  There are two types – the bald cypress and the pond cypress.  Both are known for their “knees” especially when they are in wet areas. 

When you visit state parks with rivers or running water, you will see the bald cypress (Taxodium distichurm) along the stream.  They can also be found in swamps with slow moving water.  These trees grow to be hundreds of years old with large, buttressed trunks.  They are one of the few trees in central Florida to show off a copper color each autumn before their leaves fall to the ground - although sometimes it is January before the ones outside my window show those copper leaves!

Retention ponds in Pinellas County may have pond cypress (Taxodium ascendens) growing as part of the landscape.  They have been used in the retention areas of many condominiums and make a beautiful addition to the landscape.  They transition well from wet to dry seasons, and don’t seem to mind if the soil is wet and swampy or sandy and dry.  Pond cypress don’t grow as tall as the bald cypress but still get as high as 80 feet.  Their “knees” are shorter than the bald cypress, and they are less likely to have as many knees.  Like the bald cypress, the leaves change color each autumn but they do not become as copper, more of a yellow gold.

Both the bald and the pond cypress are relatively maintenance free, needing only an occasional trim of dead limbs.  Both will drop blossoms in the spring; leaves and cones drop off each fall after they change color.

Cypress will grow in dry areas as well as wet.  The dryer the landscape, the fewer knees they produce.  They make a beautiful addition to home landscapes and help create a native Florida environment.