![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIgSBwTCz-d7TSvENR1yEDEwkPtmM25ARQg0KpwrEaqWdJOv8ukKcv85okLS0Kyd8xKuRYKBtTlWLbHeRRItAL9pKNHyL5_f0-nVmjcULm0LYljr0h7bVyHe-Hpx6-Q6bLWMgJsHS_nOE/s400/Retiro+Park+Baldcypress.JPG)
Located in a large pond in the "Retiro" park in Madrid, Spain are several fine specimens of Bald Cypress trees (Taxodium distichum), also called Swamp Cypress or Baldcypress. These trees are growing in a man made pond in front of a crystal palace that was built in 1887 to house an exposition of plants from the Philipines. It was patturned after the Crystal Palace that was built in London in 1851.
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Today the crystal palace stands empty execpt for an occasional exposition of art etc. The pond in front of the palace with its Swamp Cypress trees is a favorite of turists and photographers. A pathway winds around the prerimeter of the pond and at one point even goes through a cave from where you can look out through the water fall and observe several of the trees.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjka9aRB9F57Ob-cvKvaY4oeYKr-1iFno0rjywJwKImQ9J4rSUqpFkRwJ2AHAl8Hhyphenhyphen3v66OrdcsgYlP5lwrPkgHuMTg4uFO-ieNuZVxjF5AZr63q_Vqhrh9BB4y3rQhLNIe9fpkNmQyLmY/s400/Retiro+park+Swamp+Cypress.JPG)
Bald Cypress trees have a trunk that is quite wide at the base as you can see in the image below. These trees also turn a bright golden color in the fall and are a very pretty sight to behold.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipFF9WvcXMpMOfxErMDl5Ffg7g9yPm-uhMKOTDBf5dW6RdX6SZs4LzUIQwiXLWsMcauBBaWeAZdd7MMs33eAJ3LH1CISKbo1Tga7F8aPadtDYg-FjqJ8NjCu88AdKDV14Kh3nLkcZC4gw/s400/Bald+Cypress+trunk.JPG)
The cones of the Bald Cypress are similar in shape to those of the
Common Cypress despite the fact that they belong to different genus.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnnkh861OBs2gqN-dFYPO1KlL_KhWxdlqYDl-vhz150ICwC4NVjJNlOszCRjnKnprzBOZVfqrbA7coTxhlVow-O8diaeZNgrSwaJWEC9l7cuS8ciTg8-ALasQfxlxG-5DhETdCUmgXfkw/s400/Swamp+Cypress+cones.JPG)
Not too far from the "Palacio de Cristal" there is another tree from same tree family (genus) that is the oldest and most impressive tree in the park. It is a
Montezuma Cypress (Taxodium mucronatum) and goes by the name "Ahuehuete del Parterre".
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