Related Topics: [ wetlands] Baldcypress is a needle-leaved deciduous tree in the family family Taxodiaceae. Other members of this family include the redwoods, the sequoias and the metasequoias. Like their cousins, these trees are able to grow to incredible size. The largest individual - named "The Big Tree of Tule" in Mexico - is fully 50 feet in diameter (Benson, 1959). In addition to their size, these trees are remarkable for their tolerance both flooding and low oxygen levels. One of the major keys to their ability to tolerate these conditions lies in their root structure. Overall their roots are shallow and maintain contact with the atmosphere through "knees" - specialized structures adapted to provide gas exchange from the roots. The trunk of an ancient baldcypress is structurally reminiscent of the great cathedrals of Europe. These trunks, like cathedral walls, place a tremendous amount of weight on a rather limited foundation. In order to compensate for the limitations of their foundations nature and midaeval architecture both converged on a similar solution: the buttresses.

Taxodium Maackia Maackia