pondcypress Cupressaceae Taxodium ascendens Brongn. symbol: TAAS Leaf: Linear or awl-like and small, 3/8 inch long, held close to the twig, green to yellow-green. Flower: Males in 3 to 5 inch long hanging panicles, females are small and occur near branch tips. Fruit: Nearly round cone with peltate scales, 3/4 to 1 inch in diameter, initially yellow-green but turning brown and breaking into individual scales when mature. Twig: May be deciduous or not. Slender, covered with tight scale-like foliage, later brown and rough as needles age and fall off; buds rounded. Typical deciduous branchlets ascend vertically from branches. Bark: Fibrous and shreddy, red-brown and gray where oxidized. Thought to become thicker than that of baldcypress. Form: Medium sized tree with a pyramidal crown, clear bole and often buttressed base, generally smaller than baldcypress. Looks like: baldcypress Additional Range Information: Taxodium ascendens is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. See states reporting pondcypress. More: Fall Color External Links: USDA Plants Database Horticulture © Copyright 2015, Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, all rights reserved. Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson