“Eastern Redbud produces flowers before it produces leaves…”– Fun Facts
Entire plant image, Cercis canadensis (Lambique, 2012a)
Eastern Redbud is a member of the pea family Fabaceae, which can be seen in its flowers and seed pods. The species was first published by Linnaeus in 1753 (POWO, 2024). Since then, a number of subspecies have been described, including ssp. canadensis, ssp. mexicana, and ssp. texensis. Cercis canadensis ssp. orbiculata is currently accepted as its own species: Cercis orbiculata Greene (RBG-Kew, 2024).
Utah has two native species that look similar to Cercis canadensis: Cercis occidentalis and Cercis orbiculata, two species sometimes considered to be one species, the Western or California redbud (RBG-Kew, 2024). Western redbud has broader fruits (1.8-2.5 cm wide) compared to Eastern redbud (0.8-1.8 cm wide) (Hopkins, 1942) and smaller leaves that are more round at the tip, rather than the acute to acuminate (pointed) tip.
Eastern Redbud produces flowers before it produces leaves each year (Gilman and Watson, 1993).
This makes the species important for pollinators and nectivorous birds in its native range, as it is often one of the earliest flowers to bloom.
Native
Introduced
Eastern Redbud is an adaptable species. It can grow anywhere that isn’t especially wet, dry, or acidic. However, it grows best on moist, rich soils in partial shade. It can survive in full sun or partial shade (Sullivan, 1994). Unusually for a legume, Eastern Redbud doesn’t seem to fix nitrogen in the soil (Sullivan, 1994).
Eastern Redbud is ranked “Secure” overall (NatureServe, 2024).
