Bald cypress

Bald cypress can live up to hundreds of years. They are deciduous, which means their leaves turn a copper color before falling off in the fall and are replaced by fresh green leaves in the spring. The spherical cones of a bald cypress also shed in the fall. They often are buttressed at the base of their trunks and may have vertical projections from their roots called “cypress knees.” Scientists do not currently know the function of these knees. Two hypotheses are that the knees help submerged roots obtain oxygen or that knees provide additional stability to the cypress.