Pond Cypress
Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium
- Native to:
- United States
Taxonomy
- Division:
- Coniferophyta | - Conifers
- Family:
- Cupressaceae
- Genus:
- Taxodium
- Species:
- Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium
- USDA Symbol:
- TAAS
Growth Characteristics
- Life Cycle:
- Perennial
- Growth Habit:
- Tree
- Height:
- 2500 cm
- Light Requirements:
- Full Sun
- Drought Tolerance:
- Low
- Bloom Months:
- mar,apr
Wildlife Benefits
- Caterpillars:
- ★★★☆☆ Recorded caterpillar host plant (HOSTS Database)
Host Plant for Caterpillars
Anacamptodes pergracilis, Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), Chloropteryx tepperaria, Coleotechnites apicitripunctella, Coleotechnites variella, Cutina albopunctella, Dasychira grisefacta, Dioryctria pygmaeella, Dominick's tussock moth (Dasychira dominickaria), fir tussock moth (Orgyia detrita), Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), Imperial Moth (Eacles imperialis), Isoparce cupressi, Northern Pine Tussock Moth (Dasychira plagiata), Perimede erransella, south coastal coneworm moth (Dioryctria ebeli), Southern pine coneworm moth (Dioryctria amatella)
Garden & Ecology Notes
- Wildlife Value:
- birds, small mammals
- Deer Resistant:
- Yes
- Fall Color:
- orange, brown
- Fire Ecology:
- Fire adapted — tolerates or benefits from fire
- Fire Notes:
- Mature trees can survive low-intensity fires due to thick bark; resprouts from trunk if top-killed.
Soil Requirements
- Soil Type:
- wet, poorly-drained, nutrient-rich soil
- pH:
- 5.0 - 7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
- Drainage:
- tolerates poor drainage
- Moisture:
- consistently moist
- Notes:
- commonly found in swampy areas and wetlands
Propagation & Germination
- Stratification:
- Cold/moist stratification required — 30–90 days
- Germination Time:
- 14–60 days
- Notes:
- Seeds require consistently moist to wet conditions and benefit from cold stratification. Light may improve germination.
The above propagation data sourced from Claude AI