20 Graines Cyprès de Louisiane, Taxodium distichum

Louisiana cypress, bald cypress, taxodium distichum |

The Cypress Chauve or Cypress de Louisiana (Taxodium Distichum) and Cipre in French of Louisiana, is a species oftrees, conventionally of the family of taxodiaceae but now classified in that of cupressaceae, originally from the south-east of United States. It is a remarkable species by its adaptation to wetlands1.

20 seeds - Rusticity: - 20 ° C - Average germination: 15 % - PUR at 50 % (see photo seeds) - Cold stratification 30 days (advice: 90 days) Miminum before sowing

The bald cypress is a large tree up to 30 to 50 meters high for a 2 meter trunk diameter. The tree lives from 300 to 500 years1.

The light, graceful and flexible foliage is made up of clear , flattened and acicular leaves, arranged in spirals on the branches but twisted at their base, which makes them appear in two flattened rows. They measure from 1 to 1.6 cm long by 1 to 2 mm wide^{[réf. nécessaire]}. They are deciduous, falling in the bad season1. This last character is at the origin of the name of cypress " Chauve "^{[réf. nécessaire]}. They then develop remarkable orange colors as in the photos below.

Cypresses bald in the marshes are distinguished by the growth of particular aerial roots, the pneumatophores. These lignified organs, which can reach 1.7 m high, emerge from the soil or water all around the trunk. Their function seems to be double. On the one hand, they provide the supply in Dioxygen of the submerged root system which would riskanoxia without this risks; On the other hand, they allow better stabilization and better anchoring of the tree in the soil very often soaked in water1.

This species is monoic : cones males and female cones are distinct, but present on the same individual.

The male cones are grouped on short pendant branches. They are much smaller than the female cones.

Immature, green female cones turn brown gray at maturity. They are globular in shape and measure from 2 to 3.5 CM in diameter^{[réf. nécessaire]}. They disintegrate once down on the ground. They are composed from 10 to 15 scales each housing one to two seeds^{[réf. nécessaire]}. The female cone matures the year of fertilization1.

The seeds are the largest (from 5 to 10 mm long) encountered in the cupressaceae family^{[réf. nécessaire]}, and are dispersed in water.

The Chauve cypress, which is theTree-Emblème of the state of Louisiana, is from the south-eastern quarter of United States. It is often considered in the United States as the symbol of the southern marshes. We find him in Florida, Caroline du Sud, in Caroline du Nord, in Illinois, in Mississippi, in Louisiana and at Texas1. The tree appreciates the sunshine and the sooty, swampy or regularly flooded land. It is therefore found along the great rivers (Mississippi) where it pushes other species of trees ... His stands are called Ciprières in French from Louisiana. On dry terrains, it is accompanied by the marsh oak1.

Contents subject to the CC-BY-SA license 3.0. Source : Article Taxodium Distichum from Wikipedia in French (Authors)