Cypress Tree

Cypress trees can be difficult to identify, as mislabeling of cypress trees is a common occurrence, as both 'true' and 'false' cypress trees exist, with “true cypress trees belonging to the coniferous plant genus Cupressus” and false cypress trees not belonging to this genus [1].

Cypress trees grow in a variety of locations, where in Florida the “pond cypress and bald cypress” reside, “growing in the everglades, with their large, swollen trunk bases surrounded by water” [1]. Pond cypress trees are another cypress variety and “the other species of Florida’s cypresses,” with a “narrow, columnar shape” and “sprays of soft green foliage that turn orange or golden-brown in the fall,” and limited “knee” growth [1]. Describing bald cypress trees, these are “native to the swampy marshes of Florida, lose their foliage in winter, have upright growth and a triangular shape,” that becomes columnar with age and “roots that grow around the tree” which poke out of the ground or swamp water dubbed “knees” [1]. These bald cypress trees are widely known, with “brown or gray bark with a stringy texture” and are “often draped with clumps of Spanish moss,” and the “knees” are technically known as “pneumatophores,” thought to “transport air to drowned roots underground” [4].

Other cypress trees include the “Monterey cypress trees,” which are “medium-sized conifers native to California” with a “recognizable flat top that spreads out sideways,” and the lemon cypress tree, which are “fast-growing and narrow columnar trees with branches that grow upward." The shape of the lemon cypress is similar to that of the Mediterranean Cypress or Italian Cypress, both of which are “tall, skinny conifers with feathery sprays of soft evergreen foliage” [1].

Final cypress trees of consideration are those that are harder to distinguish as cypress trees. These include the “Arizona Cypress” with its “triangular shape and dull green or blue-green feathery scale-like leaves,” the “Nootka Cypress,” which has “flat, dark-green prays with scale-like leaves” and “weeping growth and drooping branches,” and includes the “Alaska Cedar and yellow cedar” [1]. The Nootka cypress is “a denizen of cold places, native to the west coast of North America, from Alaska to Northern California” and is known as the '"green arrow" due to its narrow form and rich, deep green color' [2].

The majority of cypress trees grow “along North America’s southern coastline, where they have easy access to swampy, wet soil and full sunlight,” though “some prosper elsewhere” as long as the trees have access to “rich soil and mud that contains nutrients” [3].

References

[1] Leafy Place. (n.d.). Types of Cypress Trees: Bald Cypress, Lemon Cypress, and More (Pictures). Retrieved (2021, July 14), from https://leafyplace.com/cypress-trees/

[2] Malone, S. (2021, March 24). 10 Types of Cypress Trees that Everyone Should Know. American Conifer Society. Retrieved (2021, July 14), from https://conifersociety.org/conifers/articles/10-types-of-cypress-trees-that-everyone-should-know/

[3] Painter, S. (n.d.). Cypress Trees. LoveToKnow. Retrieved (2021, July 13), from https://garden.lovetoknow.com/trees/cypress-trees

[4] The National Wildlife Foundation. (n.d.). Bald Cypress. Retrieved (2021, July 14), from https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Bald-Cypress