Taxodium distichum (Estanque del Palacio de Cristal, in Parque del Retiro)

A slender tree that loses its branchlets with their needle-like leaves in autumn; it is characterised by being the only conifer that can live in flooded areas, thanks to the fact that its roots have breathing nodules, called pneumatophores, which rise above water level. The bark is reddish-brown, fibrous, and shed in strips, with flat leaves arranged in two rows on the side shoots. Also inserted on the branches in two rows are male flowers grouped in long, hanging bunches and solitary cones measuring between a centimetre and a half and three centimetres. Due to its location in the pond, the relevant measurements cannot be taken.

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