50 TREES OP THE NORTHERN UNITED STATES 



leaves only inch long. Four of the largest trees show 

 fruit, and each of these has only about a half-dozen of 

 the globular cones. Only a few of the trees those in the 

 wettest places have the knobs on the ground near the 



No. 4. 



The Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum) is a common 

 tree, a native of the Gulf States, growing very abundantly 

 in the wettest swamps of that region. The northern 

 limit of the tree in its wild state is said to be central 

 Delaware and southern Illinois, but it can be successfully 

 cultivated in the region around Boston. There are several 

 named varieties, one with the leaves but slightly spread- 

 ing from the spray, and the whole of the branches show- 

 ing a decided weeping tendency, so that it is called the 

 Weeping Cypress. The knobs from the roots, called Cy- 

 press-knees, grow very abundantly around all the trees in 

 the southern swamps. These grow to the height of from 

 2 to 4 feet, and are very thick, sometimes as much as 5 

 feet. They are hollow, and are occasionally used for bee- 

 hives. 



It is said to be a broad, flat-topped tree, spreading its 

 top over other trees. This seems very strange, as none of 

 those in Trenton, N. J., show such a tendency, but are 

 quite spire-shaped. The wood is light, soft, straight- 

 grained, and is said to "be excellent for shingles and for 

 other purposes. It generally has a dark reddish or 

 brownish hue. It is a large tree, growing to the height 

 of 140 feet. The trunk is sometimes 12 feet through near 

 the ground. The flowers of the tree are in small catkins, 

 blooming before the leaves expand in the early spring ; in 

 February, in South Carolina. 



