Cercis
canadensis Linnaeus var. canadensis
Common
names: eastern redbud, Judas tree, redbud.
Synonyms: Cercis canadensis Linnaeus.
Family: Fabaceae.
Brief
description:
A small deciduous tree, usually ranging from 5–10 m (16–33 ft.) tall
when mature. Bark of older trunks is gray-brown, and shallowly furrowed
and ridged, sometimes flaky. Leaves are alternate, 5–12.5 cm long,
and about as wide or wider. Leaves are typically heart-shaped, without
teeth or lobes along the margin. Leaves bear 5 (sometimes 7) prominent
veins that branch from the base of the leaf blade. Flowers are small,
but showy, pinkish or purplish (occasionally white), and shaped like
garden pea flowers. They appear in clusters on older branches or the
trunk, usually before the leaves emerge. Fruits are flat pods (legumes),
4–10 cm long, turning from green to brown or black when mature. Redbud,
a common forest tree throughout much of the eastern United States,
is one of the first trees to flower in spring.
USDA
Profile
Herbarium
sheet images:
Live
specimen images:
Branchlet
with leaves Individual
leaf 1 Individual
leaf 2 Close-up
of pulvinus Close-up
of buds Flowers
Branchlet
wth fruits Close-up
of fruits