MONTEZUMA BALDCYPRESS
Ahuehuete, Sabino
Taxodium mucronatum - Taxodiaceae, Baldcypress Family
DESCRIPTION: Robust tree with
a straight trunk, enlarged near base.
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Height: 45 feet.
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Flowers: Male flowers in
clusters; female with fewer, which produce cones;February.
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Fruit: Round, 1-inch cones.
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Foliage: Nearly evergreen,
1/4, to 1/2-inch-long needles.
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Bark: Brownish-red, smooth
to shallowly furrowed, fibrous, shredded.
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Growth rate: Fast when
young, slows down with age.
REQUIREMENTS:
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Sun: Partial shade to full
sun.
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Soil: Wet. Tolerant to some
salinity.
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Drainage: Tolerant to poor
drainage.
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Water.- High requirement;
will grow in moist landscapes.
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Maintenance: Little needed.
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Propagation: Seed with
resin removed; difficult to germinate.
NATIVE HABITAT:
Rare. A large tree grows south
of Abram in Rio Grande floodplain. A few trees are located near Santa
Margarita and Salineno in Starr County on Rio Grande bank, and more
numerous in scattered locations downriver to Brownsville.
WILDLIFE USE:
Cover, nest sites; cones eaten
by rodents.
COMMENTS:
Resin and pitch used as cure
for ailments, wound dressings. Long-lived, this majestic tree with its
delicate beauty is an unusual and interesting accent tree; foliage adds
softening effect to a landscape; do not plant near irrigation pipes.
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