A definitive reason for this profile has not been determined, but it has been suggested either fire, water level or depth of peat deposits cause the dome to grow from the center outward. The standing water is often a result of rainfall and surface inflow with almost no input from groundwater flow. Water is able to pond due to the relatively impermeable layer of consolidated material called hard pan that usually underlies cypress domes. The major loss of water from a cypress dome is evapotranspiration, while infiltration is rapid during dry seasons and slow during wet summers. Dwarf Cypress Swamps are found primarily in the Everglades and the Big Cypress Swamp.
Pond cypress is the dominant tree but grows stunted and scattered throughout the freshwater marshes.
These trees rarely grow over 7 m high and average only 3 m in height. The poor growing conditions, which are defined here as lack of significant substrate above the limestone, prevent larger trees from establishing themselves in this environment. Fires often occur here but usually do not kill the cypress due to the lack of combustible organic material accumulation. In the Everglades, trees are often grouped in clusters that have the appearance of miniature cypress domes. These are ecosystems with salttolerant communities occupying intertidal zones that are occasionally immersed with salt water.