See quot. 1826, 1837.
1774. Red cedar in logs, posts, and knees.—Advt., Newport Mercury, Oct. 10.
1799. Wanted immediately, White Oak Knees [of specified sizes].—Advt., Mass. Mercury, Oct. 25.
1821. The bottom contains many large swamps, rendered almost impenetrable by a dense growth of cypress and cypress knees, (the latter of which are conical excrescences springing from the roots of the cyprus [sic] and shooting up in profusion, to the height of from one, to eight or ten feet.)—E. James, ‘Rocky Mountain Expedition,’ ii. 342 (Phila., 1823). (Italics in the original.)
1826. The water in which they grow is a vast and dead level, two or three feet deep, still leaving the innumerable cypress “knees,” as they are called, or very elliptical trunks, resembling circular bee-hives, throwing their points above the waters.—T. Flint, ‘Recollections,’ p. 262.
1837. [This passage is] filled with logs and protuberances from the roots of the trees, called “knees,” which rise nearly or quite to the surface of the water.—Report of Capt. Guion, Jan. 17: Cong. Globe, 1842, p. 345, App.
1837. Cypress knees are hollow cones, which rise from the roots of the cypress tree, from one to six feet high, and terminate in a blunt point.—John L. Williams, ‘The Territory of Florida,’ p. 89 (N.Y.).
1838. [The pony] set off at full speed, knocked me against the projecting limb of a tree, and deposited me among the cypress-knees in the swamp.—Caroline Gilman, ‘Recollections of a Southern Matron,’ p. 131.
1850. The path appeared to cease at a clear, deep, narrow “slough,” full of cypress “knees,” which did not come to the surface, but seemed some few inches under…. I found, by the struggling of my poor steed for releasement, that I was mistaken in the slough, and that in this instance, the proximity of the “knees” to the surface was no illusion.—H. C. Lewis (‘Madison Tensas’), ‘Odd Leaves,’ pp. 93, 97 (Phila.).
