Southern Indiana Wildflower Walks

Bald Cypress “knees” These unusual “knees” of the bald cypress tree are actually knobby extensions sent up by the roots of this swamp-loving tree. Could it be these knees are sent up through the water or ground to help get oxygen to the roots? The knees often take on unusual shapes, appearing like gnomes on the forest floor. Another distinctive feature of the bald cypress is that while it is a conifer, it is not evergreen. It’s leaves are shed every fall and grow back as fine needles in the spring. One of the northern-most stands of Bald Cypress trees is at the Twin Swamps Nature Preserve in Posey County. It is also one of Indiana’s last bald cypress stands. Sources: Wildflowers of Indiana Woodlands, by Sylvan T. Runkel and Alvin F. Bull. Copyright 1979, Iowa State University Press

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