Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium
Common name: 
Pondcypress
Pond Cypress
Pronunciation: 
taks-O-di-um a-SEN-denz
Family: 
Cupressaceae, Taxodiaceae
Genus: 
Taxodium
Synonyms: 
Taxodium ascendens
Taxodium distichum var. ascendens
Type: 
Conifer
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Deciduous conifer, usually to about 70 ft (20 m) tall and 15 ft (4.5 m) wide, narrowly conical or columnar, deciduous branchlets upright.  Bark light brown, thick and deeply furrowed.  Leaves awl-shaped, about 1 cm long, appressed to the stem or incurved, bright green, brown in autumn.  Cones globular, short-stalked, 1-3 cm across, near ends of branches, ripening the first year and tuning brown.
  • Sun, best on moist, acid soils; does well on upland soils.  Reportedly"wind firm".
  • Hardy to USDA Zone (4) 5 (somewhat less hardy than T. distichum)     Native range from Virginia to Florida and Louisianan, mostly in more upland areas, however the two species may occur in mixed stands.
  • Pond Cypress, is similar, but smaller, has shorter needles, and is less cold-hardy than T. distichum.  Recent studies indicate that Pond Cypress is a botanical variety of T. disticum and is designated as T. distichum var. imbricarium.
  • imbricarium: overlapping in regular order, a referance to the arrangement of the leaves
  • Oregon State Univ. campus: on the south side of Campus Way between 15th and 11th St.
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • leafy branches

    leafy branches

  • leafy branch

    leafy branch

  • branchlets

    branchlets

  • branchlet, leaves

    branchlet, leaves

  • branchlets, comparison

    branchlets, comparison

  • branchlets and cones

    branchlets and cones

  • trunk, bark

    trunk, bark