Taxodium 173 



TAXODIUM DISTICHUM, Deciduous Cypress 



Taxodium distickum, Richard, Ann. Mus. Par. xvi. 298 (18 10); Loudon, Arb. et Friit. Brit. iv. 



2481 (1838); Sargent, Silva N. America, x. 151, t. 537 (1896); Kent, in Veitch's Man. 



Conifera, 281 (1900). 

 Cu^ssus disticha, Linnaeus, Sp. PL 1003 (1753). 

 Schubertia disticha, Mirbel, Mem. Mus. Par. xiii. 75 (1825). 



Three well-marked forms of Taxodium occur in the wild state, which differ in 

 certain characters, such as the form of the foliage, its partial persistence or complete 

 deciduousness, and the time of flowering ; and in the present state of our knowledge 

 these may be considered as constituting one species, the peculiarities mentioned 

 appearing to depend on conditions of soil and climate, and to be by no means 

 constant. 



1. Var. typica. A tall tree, with a gradually tapering stem, which has an 

 enlarged base, usually hollow internally and buttressed externally. When 

 young it is strictly pyramidal in form ; but in older trees the crown becomes 

 wide and flattened, often 100 feet across, according to Sargent. The bark 

 is dull reddish brown, i to 2 inches thick, fissured and separating into long 

 fibrous scales. The leaves in this form are arranged pseudo-distichously on 

 horizontally spreading branchlets, and are linear in shape (see generic description). 

 This form is the one which occurs generally in the alluvial swamps of the south- 

 eastern United States. 



2. Var. imbricaria. 



Taxodium distichum, var. imbricaria, Sargent, /.f. 152. 



Taxodium distichum pendulum, Carrifere, Conif. 182 (1867). 



Taxodium imbricarium, Harper, Bull. Torrey Bot. Club, xxix. 383 (1902), and xxxii. 105 (1905). 



Taxodium sinense, Gordon, Pinetum, 309 (1858). 



Cupressus disticha, j3 imbricaria, Nuttall, Gen. ii. 224 (18 18). 



Glyptostrobus pendulus, Endlicher, Syn. Conif. 71 (1847)3 Hooker fil., Bot. Mag. t. 5603 (1886). 



A tree, generally smaller in size than the type, with branchlets normally erect, 

 but occasionally somewhat spreading and very rarely pendulous. Leaves appressed 

 on the branchlets and acicular-acuminate (see generic description). 



According to Mohr,^ this is the " upland Cypress " which occurs on the shallow 

 ponds of the pine-barrens and in semi-swampy woods on poor sandy soil. He 

 considers it to be greatly inferior to the typical cypress of the alluvial swamps in 

 regard to the size and quality of the wood ; and states that in the earlier stages of 

 its growth and on vigorous adventitious shoots it produces leaves of the ordinary 

 form. It passes readily, according to his observations, into the type, where the 

 soil conditions are favourable. He considers the peculiarity of the foliage to be an 

 adaptation to check excessive transpiration during the time of drought when the 

 sandy soil is laid bare to the sun and the supply of water diminishes. 



> Qonlrib, U.S. Nat. Herbarium, vi, 117 and 325 (1901), 



