Scientific Name
Cercis canadensis
Eastern redbud, a small tree native to most of the eastern half of the U.S. and a large portion of the eastern Mexican highlands, is one of the most popular small ornamental trees in contemporary landscaping. Its popularity comes from the reliably abundant display of long-lasting rose-colored flowers, which appear each spring on the prior year’s twigs and, interestingly, also directly on many of the older branches.
The redbud typically grows to around 20 feet tall — the Colorado champion reaching 34 feet — with an equal canopy spread. The crown can be rounded or flat-topped, though some may develop only into large multi-stemmed shrubs. Many popular cultivars have been developed, varying in foliage and flower color. The leaves are broadly heart-shaped with smooth edges, and the zigzag twigs are dark-colored. The fruit is the familiar seedpod of the pea family of plants.
Redbud can be grown successfully in a wide variety of site conditions, though it is not especially tolerant of drought or excessively wet soil and is generally not long-lived. In the early years of Denver, redbud was not considered cold-hardy enough to plant, but by the 1950s, seed from the northernmost native populations produced trees that thrived locally. Redbud is the state tree of Oklahoma.