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The bald cypress has needle-like leaflets that drop in the fall. The needles are arranged alternately on the stems, which distinguishes this tree from the dawn redwood, which has needles arranged in opposite pairs along the stem. In its native swamp habitat, bald cypresses produce "knees,” or outgrowths from its roots that reach up and out of the water. Their function is not well known, although there were unproven early beliefs that these were for oxygen transport in flooded conditions. Current thought is that the knees offer structure to stabilize the trees growing in water as knees are not seen around trees growing on dry land, such as this one.

The tree has inspired much poetry and prose over the centuries due to its melancholy and mysterious appearance. In "Thousand-mile Walk to the Gulf", John Muir refers to “the dark, mysterious cypress woods which cover everything,” and states that “night is coming on and I am filled with indescribable loneliness.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow also spoke about the tree in his poem, "Evangeline." There is great mystery in the origin of its common name. The reason for why it's called “bald” has been lost to time, although many guesses have been made. Native Indians prized cypress trees as they were used for making dugout canoes. The Choctaw, specifically, used southern bald cypress’ bark to make thick ropes, and tribes such as the Piscataway favored the cypress for canoe and paddle making.