Taxodium distichum

Taxodium distichum, Swamp Cypress, is a magnificent deciduous conifer from the southeastern states of the USA and was first introduced into the UK by John Tradescant the Younger who made collecting expeditions to Virginia between 1628 and 1637. It is a majestic tree with fine soft fern-like needles that turn a golden-brown in the autumn. One of the most flood tolerant of all trees, Taxodium distichum is a signature species of the Cypress Swamps of the Florida Everglades where it forms extensive domed-shaped islands. In the UK, it is usually found in botanic gardens or arboretums, on large estates or the gardens of stately homes. An imposing tree, you are unlikely to be able to cram it into your back garden but if you are lucky enough to have the space for it, Taxodium distichum makes a choice collector's specimen that creates a unique and refined effect.

Almost always grown in association with water - either on the banks of a large pond or lake or sometimes directly in shallow water - Taxodium distichum has a growth structure that it shares with some other members of the Taxodioideae: the Cypress Knee. Originally thought to be pneumatophores, a growth structure common in Mangroves that enable the roots to respire and absorb oxygen when submerged underwater, recent research suggests that this may not be the case and that they may instead serve to provide structural strength on unstable soggy ground thus preventing the tree from falling over, similar to the buttressing seen in jungle Ficus species. These Cypress Knees add enormously to the ornamental attraction of a mature tree and their eccentrically-shaped growths - which can reach up to a metre or more in height - have great charm.