Eastern Redbun

Eastern Redbud

(Cercis Canadensis) Eastern redbud is a native, perennial, deciduous tree or shrub. The plants may vary in form from dense and round (to 6 m tall) when grown in sun, to an open, taller form (to 12 m tall) when grown in the shade. The trees produce hundreds of small pink pea flowers in the very early spring, even before other trees have leafed out. The bright magenta-pink to lilac flowers, appear in small clusters, primarily on older stems. The flowers are irregular, 9 to 12 cm long, with ten stamens. The unique, broadly heart-shaped leaves are nearly circular (5 to 10 cm), with a long, slender petiole. The leaves are alternate and have 5 to 9 prominent veins that radiate palmately from the base. New leaves are a light green that darken with age and finally turn yellow in the fall. The seeds are contained in a flat, thin pod (4 to 10 cm long), which turns from green to brown

Leaf: Alternate, simple, alternate and heart shaped, 3 to 5 inches long and wide, with an entire margin, thin and papery, petioles conspicuously swollen on both ends; green above and slightly paler below.

Flower: Very showy, pea-like, pink to light purple in color, 1/2 inch long, appearing in clusters all along even older stems in early spring before the leaves

Fruit: Flattened, dry legumes, brown, 2 to 4 inches long that contain flat, elliptical, brown seeds 1/4 inch long, maturing in late summer.

Twig: Slender and zigzag, nearly black in color, spotted with lighter lenticels, leaf buds are tiny and dark red to chestnut in color; flowers buds are round and often numerous in large clusters on older woody stems.

Bark:  Initially smooth and brown; later ridged and furrowed to scaly and dark gray; may have some maroon patches evident and orange in the cracks.

Form: A large shrub or small tree up to 30 feet with a short, often twisted trunk and spreading branches.

Range: The eastern redbud is found in Ontario, Canada, and south throughout the eastern and south-central United States, as far as Mexico.

The variety Cercis canadensis var. canadensis occurs in Canada and the eastern U.S., while Cercis canadensis var. texensis occurs in the south-western U.S. and Cercis canadensis var. mexicana occurs in the south-western U.S. and into Mexico

Growing Conditions: The eastern redbud shows the best growth in moist sites. It does not like wet feet, though, so proper drainage is essential.

Both acidic and alkaline soils will be tolerated. It can also work if you have clay soil, though you will definitely need to make sure that it drains.

Wildlife value:  Many birds, including bobwhite quails, eat the seeds. White-tailed deer are among the animals that browse the foliage. Honeybees visit the blossoms. Livestock will browse on Eastern redbud.

Timber Value: the tree it is of no commercial value as a source of lumber

Damaging Eastern redbud has relatively few pests. Stem canker, leaf spots, and verticillium wilt may be a problem. The plants may experience some insect damage from leaf rollers, treehoppers, scales, leafhoppers, aphids, and spider mites, but damage is rarely severe.

Lifespan: Eastern Redbud has an average lifespan of 25 years.

It was chosen as the state tree of Oklahoma in 1937.



Links:

http://www.arkive.org/eastern-redbud/cercis-canadensis/

http://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=CECA4

http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/treedetail.cfm?itemID=912