At the beginning of the new year, the bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), also called swamp cypress, in Pingshan Central Park has ushered in the best viewing period of the year with mixed colors of red, yellow and green, giving the area a more romantic vibe.

Bald cypress trees are seen at Pingshan Central Park. Photos by Lin Lin

While red maples flourish in the north, the south has towering bald cypress trees, which can grow as tall as 25 to 50 meters.

Bald cypresses in autumn and winter offer a unique and beautiful landscape in southern China. From December to January the following year, bald cypress leaves change from green to yellow, then from orange to red. The whole color-changing process lasts approximately over a month.

Why does the bald cypress change colors? It lies with the pigment in its leaves.

The leaves turn red due to the large amount of anthocyanins synthesized in them, and anthocyanin biosynthesis is induced by various factors such as temperature, light, nutrients, metabolites and special development of tissues.

The lower the temperature is, the faster the color of bald cypresses changes, and young trees change color faster than old trees.