Life History & Disturbance Response of Taxodium distichum baldcypress

Family: Taxodiaceae
Guild: opportunistic, long-lived intermediate
Functional Lifeform: large deciduous conifer
Ecological Role: grows on saturated or inundated sites and survives frequent or prolonged flooding; survives in mixed stands so long as it is not overtopped
Lifespan, yrs (typical/max): 250/400
Shade Tolerance: intermediate
Height, m: 20-40
Canopy Tree: yes
Pollination Agent: wind
Seeding, yrs (begins/optimal/declines): 20/Information Not Found
Mast Frequency, yrs: 3-5
New Cohorts Source: seeds or sprouts
Flowering Dates: early spring
Flowers/Cones Damaged by Frost: no
Seedfall Begins: late fall -- winter
Seed Banking: 1 yr +
Cold Stratification Required: yes
Seed Type/Dispersal Distance/Agent: small, non-winged, buoyant/ > 200 m/ gravity, water
Season of Germination: spring
Seedling Rooting System: taproot
Sprouting: common
Establishment Seedbed Preferences
Substrate: wet muck or sphagnum moss
Light: overstory shade
Moisture: wet required
Temperature: neutral
Disturbance response:
Fire: Although fires are rare in the swampy areas where baldcypress typically occurs, it is an important element in maintaining baldcypress dominance by reducing the number of species and relative importance of broadleaf species. The thin bark of cypress trees offers little protection against fire and, during years of drought when swamps are dry, fire kills most baldcypress trees. Under extreme drought conditions, ground fires in the peat may kill the roots of cypress trees, thus killing the plant. Intense ground fires also may kill seeds and roots in the soil, favoring replacement of baldcypress by willows (Salix spp.) and other hardwoods. When topkilled, baldcypress sprouts from the root crown and from root suckers. Trees > 60 years old are very resistant to decay when damaged. Seedling establishment may occur from seeds of surviving trees onsite or from offsite seeds carried by water.
Weather: Baldcypress is adapted to saturated and flooded soils, and is extremely windfirm.