Kim BrattainFounder/ CEO, Kim Brattain Media · Award-winning Corporate and Documentary Film Producer

How to Identify the Bald Cypress Tree | Charlotte Tree ID

6 Aug 2026 · 1 min

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1:05

In this on‑site identification segment, Eden from Charlotte’s Landscape Management Division at Elmwood Cemetery introduces the bald cypress (Taxodium distichum) and explains how to recognize it. The tree looks like a large evergreen but is actually deciduous, shedding its feathery, orange‑brown leaves in winter, which gives it a “bald” appearance. Key field marks include its swamp‑grown habit, distinctive knobby knees (upright woody roots), and exfoliating bark that peels in large strips. Eden notes the species’ extraordinary longevity—spanning multiple human generations—and its status as a beloved “City of Trees” specimen in Charlotte.

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Hi! Eden here with the bald cypress, one of hundreds of trees maintained at Charlotte's Landscape Management Division here at the Elmwood Cemetery. Now you're probably thinking, why bald? Well, it looks like a large evergreen, but the leaves will fall off in the winter and leave it looking, well, bald. The leaves are kind of feathery and they turn into an orangey-brown color when they fall. This tree often grows in swamps and is known to develop knobby knees, which are woody roots that grow up from the ground. Check this out. Another unique quality about the bald cypress, its bark. It's actually considered exfoliating, which means that it peels away in large strips like this. This tree lives for a very long time, so it'll be here for your lifetime, your kids' lifetime, their kids' lifetime, and their kids' lifetime. This is the bald cypress, one of my favorite trees in the City of Trees.