Arkansas Tree Database

Scientific name:

Taxodium Distichum

Size:

50' tall by 40' wide, up to 150' tall

Leaves:

alternate, simple, 1/2"-3/4" soft feathery needles in flat spray

Flowers:

inconspicuous

Fruit:

1" round cone, green ripening to brown in first season

Fall Interest:

attractive cinnamon-brown; deciduous conifer, the only one in Arkansas

Culture:

sun to partial sun; moist, acidic soil, adaptable from wet to dry sites but must have water for seed germination; slow growing

Disease/Insect:

Use:

deciduous shade tree, deer camps, urban tree, fairly fast-growing; straight-grained rot-resistant wood used for outdoor and indoor millwork and flooring

Cultivars:

'Shawnee Brave' and others with dwarf or columnar shapes

Notes:

bark light reddish brown to gray and fibrous; young trees conical shape; older trees a broad, open, flat top with a few heavy branches and numerous small branches; in wet areas trees have a swollen buttressed base and conical aerial roots or "knees" around the base; one of the longest living trees in the world, sometimes longer than 1,000 years; native to Arkansas