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Hello botanists and the like,

I was hoping for some assistance identifying a quite striking tree. This particular one is in Commonwealth Park, Canberra, Australia - but it doesn't seem like a native. I'd love to plant a few (probably for my great-grandkids to enjoy) and it seems like it has some fairly unique features that should make it easy to ID for anyone in the know.

Thanks!

Trunk and Branches enter image description here

Leaves enter image description here

Roots (?) enter image description here

Vocoder
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    Now I need the terminology proposal (now active in meta). In last figures you see roots, specialized for respiration. So I would expect that this tree lives in a watery environment, where normal roots are often under water. I doesn't remember the tree genera which such features, nor the specific name of such roots, to search with google. – Giacomo Catenazzi Nov 30 '17 at 10:28

2 Answers2

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This is a bald cypress, also known as swamp cypress, and also known as Taxodium distichum.

It is a magnificent tree, and one of rare deciduous conifers. If you plant this tree, you get some of the feeling of Mississippi river swamps.

Here is a picture that compares Taxodium distichum and Metasequoia glyphostroboides leaves: (you can use it for further confirmation):

enter image description here

The well known air roots, "cypress knees":

enter image description here

(all photo credits: Oregon State University)

City planners in my city wanted to build a street over the area with several bald cypresses, however they had to change the project, and the street went around the area!

VividD
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  • That looks like the one! I even found a website with pictures of the trees near me(https://www.gardensonline.com.au/GardenShed/PlantFinder/Show_1407.aspx), so thanks very much. Now to see if I can track some down at a local nursery. – Vocoder Nov 30 '17 at 20:59
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My guess is either:

  • Taxodium mucronatum or more commonly Mexican Bald Cypress or Mexican Swamp Cypress or Montezuma Bald Cypress; or
  • Taxodium distichum or more commonly Bald Cypress.

There is a very similar tree in the Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney. Refer to this website for details... specifically the last two images:

http://www.plantplaces.com/perl/viewplantdetails.pl?filter=plant&plant_ID=5604&Region=&Region_Search=&fullname=Taxodium%20mucronatum%20%20Mexican%20Bald%20Cypress

Taxodium mucronatum - image from plantplaces website

andrewbuilder
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