Cypress Knees
A tall, handsome cluster of cypress “knees.” These unusual natural forms grow from the roots of two trees native to the swamps and bayous of the southern United States: Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum var. distichum) and Pond cypress (Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium). They usually range from one- to three-feet in height, though a 14-foot-tall knee was found growing in the Suwannee River.
No one really knows why cypress knees form. Hypotheses have included root aeration, vegetative reproduction, mechanical support, and nutrient storage (among others). The aeration hypothesis is widely accepted, but (as with the other ideas) it is not supported by empirical studies. As Julia E. Rogers wrote in The Tree Book (1905), “the cypresses keep their secrets from the prying investigator.” Cypress knees can be harvested without harming the tree, and have long been a popular part of Southern culture, often used in folk art, and the creation of rustic furnishings.
A tall, handsome cluster of cypress “knees.” These unusual natural forms grow from the roots of two trees native to the swamps and bayous of the southern United States: Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum var. distichum) and Pond cypress (Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium). They usually range from one- to three-feet in height, though a 14-foot-tall knee was found growing in the Suwannee River.
No one really knows why cypress knees form. Hypotheses have included root aeration, vegetative reproduction, mechanical support, and nutrient storage (among others). The aeration hypothesis is widely accepted, but (as with the other ideas) it is not supported by empirical studies. As Julia E. Rogers wrote in The Tree Book (1905), “the cypresses keep their secrets from the prying investigator.” Cypress knees can be harvested without harming the tree, and have long been a popular part of Southern culture, often used in folk art, and the creation of rustic furnishings.
A tall, handsome cluster of cypress “knees.” These unusual natural forms grow from the roots of two trees native to the swamps and bayous of the southern United States: Bald cypress (Taxodium distichum var. distichum) and Pond cypress (Taxodium distichum var. imbricarium). They usually range from one- to three-feet in height, though a 14-foot-tall knee was found growing in the Suwannee River.
No one really knows why cypress knees form. Hypotheses have included root aeration, vegetative reproduction, mechanical support, and nutrient storage (among others). The aeration hypothesis is widely accepted, but (as with the other ideas) it is not supported by empirical studies. As Julia E. Rogers wrote in The Tree Book (1905), “the cypresses keep their secrets from the prying investigator.” Cypress knees can be harvested without harming the tree, and have long been a popular part of Southern culture, often used in folk art, and the creation of rustic furnishings.