Seeds from Bald Cypress Taxodium distichum is also referred to as swamp cypress, southern cypress, and cypress. This tree is a deciduous conifer. It has cones and sheds its needle like foliage. The leaves turn reddish brown in the autumn when the twigs with the attached needles are shed. Development of bald cypress knees was initially associated with the low oxygen environment in which the trees grew. Bald cypress is a large tree, reaching heights of 100 to 150 feet in zones 5b to 10.