Tuesday's Trees- Redbud

Don't you just love this great show of blossom?  Redbud, Cercis canadensis is a native tree.  There are some new cultivars out there that are quite stunning.  This beauty is C. chinensis 'Don Egolf'.  The native tree is not quite as densely budded with blooms.  The color is quite similar.

There not only pink Redbuds, but in the Learning Garden in Virginia there was a white one.  Believe this variety is Cercis reniformis Oklahoma 'Texas White'.  This is a native to the Texas-Oklahoma area.  It also goes by Cercis canadensis var. texensis 'Texas White'. 

 The buds form along the branch stems, making this tree a pink cloud of blooms in the spring, flowering before leaves emerge.    A great  tree that pairs well with dogwood. 

As you can tell by the bloom, the Cercis is a member of the Pea family, Fabaceae.  The C. canadensis is commonly called 'Eastern Redbud'.  The native distribution is quite wide.  From the east coast to as far west as New Mexico and all along the southern States to Ontario, Canada.  Quite a hardy one!  It is hardy zones 4-9.  It prefers moist soil but is drought tolerant though is seldom found in coarse sandy soil.
The form is dense, the branches zig-zag in a horizontal pattern.  It can be flat topped or have a rounded crown.  This is a medium size tree, 20 -30 feet tall and slightly wider.  While it is a shade tolerant tree, according to the Silvics manual by the Federal Forestry Service, as it matures it becomes less so.  As a matter of fact, the more mature trees can suffer from heart rot and cannot handle the competition of other trees. 

The thin papery leaves are heart shaped, alternate,and turn yellow in the fall. 

 This tree was in severe decline and was cut down shortly after I took this picute.  Redbud have many insects that feed on their leaves as well as borers that wiill inhabit portions of the wood.  There are three diseases that found in Redbud; leaf anthracnose, Botryosphaeria canker and Verticillium wilt.  Not sure what took this tree, but I sure am glad I got this photo. 

These next two photos (and the leaf photo above) are a Cercis canadensis 'Forest Pansy'.  The leaves are burgundy green.  If the tree is in enough sunlight, the redder the leaves.   These were taken at the JMU Arboretum.  It is a lovely setting. 

 The 'Forest Pansy' is nestled in between two Japanese Maples, both red.  To the right of them is a Magnolia Macrophylla, Big leaf Magnolia.  They sit beautifully at the edge of a pond. 

The tree is self-pollinating and the seedpods hang from the tree through the winter.  As the pods finally release the seeds they are eaten by birds and small animals.  Many seeds lay dormant for several years.  To germinate the seeds need both scarification and stratification.   Driving by this tree this fall I first thought these were leaves left on a tree.  We weren't here in the spring, so I had no idea it was a Redbud until I looked more closely.   Previous winter chilling enhances spring bloom, I imagine we will have a grand show again this spring. 

The bark of the tree is smooth and gray/brown.  As the tree matures it becomes ridged and scaly.  This is the stem/trunk of  one of the Redbud I planted last month.  Hoping to have some nice buds come springtime, though I may have to rethink where I planted them.....perhaps they could use more sunlight?

My additional references ---VTech Dendrology, NCState,  Lady Bird Wildflower Database, and of course Missouri Botanical Garden.
Next week's tree-----Tulip Poplar


words and photos by Janet,The Queen of Seaford.