SC.5.L.17.1 Adaptation and Survival in Florida Plants: Cypress

SC.5.L.17.1: Compare and contrast adaptations displayed by animals and plants that enable them to survive in different environments such as life cycle variations, animal behaviors, and physical characteristics.

How Do Cypress Trees Survive in a Wetland?

Cypress trees are classified as conifers: like pine trees, cypress are non-flowering plants that produce cones for reproduction. Unlike pine trees, which are often called “evergreens” because they keep their needles all year, the bald cypress sheds its needles during the winter. In the fall, the needles of bald cypress with turn brown and fall off. This gives the bald cypress its nickname: it is “bald” for the winter. In the spring, the bald cypress will grow new needles. Plants that shed leaves and needles during the winter are called deciduous. The bald cypress is one of the few deciduous conifers in the world. This adaptation to changing seasons helps the bald cypress to survive the winter season. Days are shorter during the winter and there is less light available for plants to make their own food (photosynthesis.)

Because cypress trees grow in very wet areas, they must be able to stand up in muddy soils. Many cypress swamps are flooded year round, while other are seasonally flooded. The base of the cypress tree spreads out to provide support in this wet environment. This same adaptation also provides support during extreme weather events like hurricanes. The high winds of a hurricane often snap the tops off cypress trees, but because the tree is so well supported the tree is able to survive.

Another adaptation that helps cypress tree to survive in their wetland environment are cypress knees. The roots of the tree spread out to provide support. As the roots spread, parts of the root will grow up above the level of the water. This adaptation helps the tree to get the oxygen it needs to survive in its flooded wetland habitat.