[Illustration: FIG. 17.--The Bald Cypress.]

Comparisons: The tree is apt to be confused with the _American larch_,
also known as _tamarack_ and _hackmatack_, but differs from it in
having longer leaves, cones twice as large and more abundant and
branches which are more pendulous.

The larch differs from the bald cypress in the broader form of its
crown and the cluster-like arrangement of its leaves. The twigs of
the bald cypress are flat and feathery. The larch and bald cypress
have the common characteristics of both shedding their leaves in
winter and preferring to grow in moist or swampy soils. The larch,
especially the native species, forms the well-known tamarack swamps
of the north. The bald cypress grows in a similar way in groups in
the southern swamps.


BALD CYPRESS (_Taxodium distichum_)

Distinguishing characters: The *feathery character* of the *twigs*, Fig.
16, and the *spire-like form* of the tree, Fig. 17, which is taller
and more slender than the larch, will distinguish this species from
others.

[Illustration: FIG. 18.--Cypress "Knees."]

Leaf: The leaves drop off in October, though the tree is of the
cone-bearing kind. In this respect it is like the larch.