The Root System of a Cypress Tree

Cypress trees

The cypress (Cupressus sempervirens) is a main division of the Coniferae known as the Araucariaceae. Its appearance resembles a flame-shaped, tapering, cone with pale, green, feathery leaves. It rarely exceeds 50 to 60 feet in height and grows 12 to 18 inches annually for the first eight to 10 years. After the age of 40, cypress growth is barely perceptible. The male and female flowers of the cypress are produced on the same tree. Cypresses live in moist or swampy regions along the Atlantic coastal plain such as eastern Texas, the southern coastal plains of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, Arkansas, western Tennessee, southeastern Missouri and southern Illinois, and the coastal regions of California.

Dual Root System

Shallow, dual root systems

The cypress has a shallow, dual root system. The primary roots extend outward as far as 40 feet in length. The secondary roots extend outward 60 feet or more.

Cypresses Breathe through "Knees"

"Knees" provide air to roots

The roots of the cypress produce a growth called "knees" that appear just above the water line up in up to 4 feet of water. True to their name, the knee portion of the root system appears as a swollen, enlarged area toward the base of the trunk. The knees supply oxygen to the root system that's below the water level and the earth.

Smaller "Knees"

Smaller knees on the cypress may extend away from the tree as far as the limbs above extend outward and sometimes even farther.

"Black Root"

The outer knees are smaller and less dense than the knees close to the tree. Small roots split out from the trunk of the knee itself. This root ball, known as a "black root," grows from the water surface down to the bottom of the tree.

Tree Size = Root Size

Small, bushy cypresses have limbs in the water or close to the moist ground. Medium sized cypresses have a good size root system that can be gauged by the length of the limbs above. The largest cypresses have a massive root system extending 40 to 60 feet laterally below the water or ground level.

Root Function

Roots transport water and nutrients.

The roots of the cypress anchor it to the ground, help it to absorb oxygen through the knees, and take up water and minerals to the limbs of the tree. The center of the root contains vascular tissue (xylum tissue) that transports water and nutrients up the root into the system. Conversely, the roots receive carbohydrates and other substances from the trunk and limbs via the phloem tissue inside the root. Cells in the xylem and phloem tissue of the roots either attach to each other end-to-end or are tapered, with overlapping walls, facilitating the movement of substances from cell to cell.

Anatomy of a root

Roots have four main regions: the root cap; the zone of division; the zone of elongation; and the zone of maturation. The root cap is a cone-shaped group of cells at the tip of the root which protect the delicate cells behind the cap as it pushes through the soil. The zone of division is located above the root cap and contains growing and dividing meristematic cells. The zone of elongation describes the area that the root tip is being pushed through the soil, elongating itself as much as 150 times. The zone of maturation is where the cells differentiate and protect, store and conduct water and nutrients to the system.

References

• 20-20 Site: Cypress Tree
• Garden Guides: How Big Is a Leyland Cypress Root System?
• Science Encyclopedia: Root System-Types of Roots, Importance Of Roots

Resources

• Active Angler: Cypress Trees: Year-round Bass Habitat