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What is six feet in diameter, over 950 years old, and weighs almost a ton? How about a slice of one of the
longest-lived species of trees in the United States: the Bald Cypress ( Taxodium distichum ). Housed on the first
floor of the Coker Building, this one foot thick section comes from a tree harvested in Levy County, Florida.
The approximate age of the tree at the time it was felled was about 950 years, meaning that this mighty tree
began its life as a small seedling around the turn of the first millennium AD. For those looking for a challenge,
you can try counting the rings for yourself. Living examples of the Bald Cypress can be found in the Coker
Arboretum across campus, at the intersection of Raleigh Street and Cameron Avenue.
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