Why do trees that stand in water for long periods still grow tall and straight?

Recently Aquan sent Squirrel a photo from a spring outing at East Lake, originally to show off the legendary Canon green (it's said Canon cameras are unbeatable for photographing plants, with built-in Canon green), but Squirrel was instantly captivated by the pond cypress trees in the background. So handsome! Standing in water yet with off-the-charts good looks, these trees definitely deserve a mention, and so today's article was born.

Wherever pond cypresses grow, they unabashedly display the beauty of a primeval forest, constantly giving off the scent of moist pine resin. Standing among them feels like traveling back to Jurassic Park, half expecting a few Compsognathus to come darting out from behind the trees to ambush you. By the way, pond cypresses are truly clever and high-performing; you can see their silhouettes in swamps and wetlands alike. And they stand in water all year round - aren't you afraid of getting your "feet" all swollen from soaking?

The pond cypress has its own wonder: missing someone is a breathing pain, and knee roots are breathing roots!

Regarding pond cypresses standing in water yet still full of green, we have to bring up their special ability. Here we need to introduce a concept: knee-root plants. That's right, our pond cypress is just such a plant, and it is thanks to this special root system that it can reproduce and thrive. So-called knee roots are a type of breathing root, also classified as a type of modified root in plant root classification. Just like the breathing roots hanging down from the branches and trunks of banyan trees, except that pond cypress knee roots grow in a different position. Plants with knee roots are quite rare at present; the most typical are the pond cypress, the bald cypress and the dawn redwood.

Knee roots are mostly seen on the roots of plants growing in swampy, damp areas. Because the environment is humid and air is pitifully scarce, the plants all fall into a panic of suffocation. The swamp water flows slowly past the roots, ceaselessly, which may look highly poetic, but for the plants it is a catastrophe: being submerged in water causes severe oxygen deprivation to the root system.

So knee-root plants, in order to avoid their roots suffocating to death, have the roots that are in full contact with water make a physiological stress response: the roots grow a batch of reverse cells so that the roots grow toward the water surface. Other tree species keep sending their roots ever deeper downward, but these instead strive to grow vertically upward until they emerge above the water surface and breathe fresh air.

Knee roots are very interesting, with shapes in a thousand forms: some look like bamboo shoots emerging from the soil, some like stalactites formed in karst caves, and some, to make you laugh and cry, like a Buddha's foot. Knee roots are mostly dark brown or reddish-brown, and their internal structure is very ingenious, with many well-developed air channels that constantly transport air, ensuring the plant's respiration and sustaining life, while also storing and transporting nutrients to ensure growth.

The pond cypresses in these places are a sight in all four seasons - what a pity you still don't know about them!

Spring warms Dayan Pond, pond cypresses and egrets

At Dayan Pond Reservoir in Chengchi Village, Ketan Town, Lujiang County, Anhui, more than 20,000 pond cypresses have been planted, restoring the water-forest ecological environment. Birds gather and frolic in the dense pond cypress groves, presenting a scene of ecological harmony. When the pond cypresses sprout and egrets roost and breed, the scenery must be very beautiful; I will definitely go again next year.

Summer visit to General Mountain, pond cypresses beside the boardwalk

Nanjing General Mountain Scenic Area can proudly call itself "Nanjing's Jiuzhaigou" and "Jinling's foremost scenery." Its most unique sight is the winding cypress bridge, with clear water and secluded woods. Tall, straight cypresses rise one by one from the lake surface. The water is calm and clear as a mirror, and the cypress grove looks as if it were planted upside down in the heavens.

Autumn chills Dalian Lake, pond cypresses play with light and shadow

Dalian Lake National Wetland Park is located near Xicen and Liantang in Qingpu. Pond cypresses stand in the water, water and trees blending; the trees are in the water and also on the bank, a sight that catches the eye. The morning sun plays with light and shadow at the tips of the trees, and slanted halos bounce off the water like a mirror.

Winter remembrance of Zhuzhen, pond cypresses play with ducks

Zhuzhen, a small town in the northwest of Luhe, Nanjing, bordering Lai'an County in Anhui, is a newly developed 10,000-mu forest park. There are stretches of peach trees, chestnuts and rapeseed, and these highlights are a matter for early spring each year. What you absolutely must not miss in winter is a patch of pond cypresses at the reservoir at the Zhima Ridge scenic spot. Few people go there, the pond cypresses stand in rows in the water, and ducks play among the pond cypresses - a scene with a special charm all its own.

Squirrel has recently been incredibly envious of friends in the south. A few days ago Aquan said, "Squirrel, quick, look at the moss all over the ground, and the little grass has sprouted too!" Then look at the green space downstairs from where I live - not a blade of grass. When spring is warm and flowers bloom and the south has already begun a new season of peach, apricot and plum blossoms that no one can tell apart, in the north the fallen petals of plum blossoms have only just been swept away; when friends in the south start wandering through seas of rapeseed flowers, in the north the winter jasmine has only just put up its little braids; now the tulips and hyacinths in the south are competing to bloom and drawing countless people to stop and admire, while in the north the mountain peaches have only just whitened the treetops.

Welcome to follow Plant Fanatic - Squirrel is still here with you, exploring and enjoying flowers and plants!