Pond Cypress (Taxodium ascendens)

Pond Cypress – (Taxodium ascendens)

Pond Cypress, Taxodium ascendens, is a deciduous tree with remarkable features. It would do wonderfully planted along your sidewalk, near a pond or swampy area or in a location where you’d love a stately conifer (but don’t have much room). Your Pond Cypress is a lovely tree that is adaptable, fast growing and easy to care for. Its awl-shaped leaves are a vibrant green with an upright growth pattern. It’s a tree that will adjust to both moist and dry conditions, and narrow enough in its growth pattern to squeeze in amid other plantings in your yard. The 3/8-inch, bright green leaves of your Pond Cypress tree transition to coppery hues with 1-inch, oval cones creating a decorative touch to the fall/winter landscape. The cones begin with a lively, yellow-tinted green shade that transitions to a rich brown with maturity.

It has a narrow nature and open habit. Although well suited to wet conditions, it can also thrive in a variety of soil types. It’s an easy tree to maintain, requiring no special attention or care. It tends to grow quickly.  It is most often found on the peripheries of ponds and lakes, hence the common name. It is very similar in form and habit to the common bald cypress (Taxodium distichum). In the home landscape, pond cypress are often preferred over bald cypress because they’re comparitively smaller and more compact. Pond cypress are relatively maintenance free and require only occasional pruning to remove dead limbs.