distichum

Distichum, from the Latin distichus meaning two-ranked, is used in botanical terminology to describe leaf or bract arrangement in which structures are placed in two opposite ranks along the stem. This distichous (two-row) pattern, also described as distichous phyllotaxy, is observed in various plant groups and can influence the overall appearance of a plant’s foliage.

The epithet distichum appears in scientific names to indicate this two-ranked characteristic, with Taxodium distichum being the best-known example. Taxodium distichum, commonly called the bald cypress, is a large deciduous conifer native to the eastern United States and parts of Mexico. It typically grows in wetlands, floodplains, and riparian zones, and is noted for a broad, buttressed trunk and a lifelike, feathery crown.

Leaves of Taxodium distichum are slender and arranged in two flat ranks along the shoots, producing the tree’s characteristic two-row foliage. The species tolerates periodic flooding and seasonal inundation, and it is valued for its timber, which is unusually rot-resistant, as well as for ornamental use in landscape plantings. In its native range, the bald cypress plays an important ecological role in wetland ecosystems, contributing to habitat complexity and floodplain stabilization.

Beyond Taxodium distichum, distichum remains a descriptive epithet used in other taxa to denote a two-ranked leaf arrangement, reflecting its central idea across botanical nomenclature.