Bald Cypress (Taxodium distichum), also called Swamp Cypress, or Baldcypress, is a long-lived, deciduous wetland species that grows along rivers, streams, and creeks as well as in swamps with slow moving water. It can live up to 600 years old. It is a legendary tree of the Deep South known for its "knees", moss-draped crown, and buttressed trunk. It occurs in the coastal plains along the Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean and north up through the Mississippi River Valley. Old-growth heartwood is especially desired in the timber industry for its durability and resistance to rot. However, lumber use has declined because it is a slow-growing tree, it is harvested from wetlands, and the population of mature trees is much smaller than in the past. New Orleans, Louisiana.