Common Name: cypress
Type: Tree
Family: Cupressaceae
Zone: 7 to 10
Height: 50.00 to 70.00 feet
Spread: 20.00 to 30.00 feet
Bloom Time: Non-flowering
Bloom Description: Non-flowering
Sun: Full sun
Water: Medium to wet
Maintenance: Medium
Suggested Use: Street Tree, Rain Garden
Tolerate: Deer, Clay Soil, Air Pollution
Culture
Best grown in average, medium to wet, moisture-retentive soils in full sun. Prefers moist, acidic, sandy loams, but appears to tolerate a wide range of soil conditions ranging from average moisture garden soils to wet soils.
‘Nanjing Beauty’ may not be reliably winter hardy in the St. Louis area where it should be planted in protected locations.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Taxodium is a genus of three species of deciduous or semi-evergreen coniferous trees found from Southeast U.S. to Guatemala. They make good choices for wet, boggy soils.
Genus name comes from the Latin word Taxus meaning yew and the Greek word eidos meaning resemblance from a similarity of leaf shape.
NANJING BEAUTY is a conical, deciduous to semi-evergreen conifer with needle-like leaves. It is a hybrid cross of Taxodium distichum (bald cypress) and Taxodium mucronatum (Montezuma cypress). This cross was made in China in the late 1970s to early 1980s by Dr. Chen Yong Hui of the Nanjing Botanical Garden. NANJING BEAUTY is noted for its rapid growth rate, ease of rooting, high alkalinity resistance, good fall foliage retention and absence of knees. It is now being mass planted in southeastern China along streets, roads, railroad tracks and canals. Hybrid seedlings were first brought to the U.S. in 2001. The plant was originally named Taxodium ‘Zhongshansa’, but with the permission of the Nanjing Botanical Garden is being sold under the name NANJING BEAUTY when brought to the U.S. market. Seedlings are expected to grow to 16’ tall over the first 10 years, but will eventually mature to 70’ tall or more over time.
Problems
Healthy, well-maintained plants in the proper growing conditions are expected to have few problems.
Uses
Interesting landscape specimen or accent.