Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud)

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic

Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud) in April.
Photo © Elaine L. Mills
Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud) flowers in April.
Photo © Christa Watters
In April, copious flower clusters hug the trunk and branches of Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud) in April.
Photo © Leslie Fillmore
Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud) close-up in May.
Photo © Dina Lehmann
Cercis canadensis (Eastern redbud) fruit detail in June.
Photo © Elaine L. Mills
Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud) leaves in July.
Photo © Mary Free
Maturing legumes dangling from the branches of Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud) in August.
Photo © Mary Free.
Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud) tree in September.
Photo © Elaine L. Mills

Copious clusters of fabulous pink to fuchsia flowers hug bare branches in early spring giving way to heart-shaped leaves. This Pea family member often grows as an understory tree in mixed forests in the Mid-Atlantic Region* from southern Pennsylvania through Virginia. The Virginia Native Plant Society named Eastern Redbud as Wildflower of the Year for 2013.

*It is native to DC. Its status in DE is historical. In VA, it is common in the mountains and the Piedmont and infrequent in the Coastal Plain.

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Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic

Cercis canadensis, Eastern Redbud Pyrus calleryana - Bradford Pear, Paulownia tomentosa - Princess Tree, Koelreuteria paniculata - Golden Raintree, Albizia julibrissin - Mimosa / Silk Tree, Acer ginnala & A. platanoides - Amur & Norway Maples, Average, well-drained, Sun, Partial Shade, Shade, Moist wet, Plant young trees; deep taproots transplant poorly, Keep soil moist; prune dead branches promptly, Use as specimen, lawn or patio tree or naturalized, Attracts butterflies to flowers; birds & mammals to seeds; larval host for Henry’s Elfin & Lo moth, Flowers and young seed pods said to be edible, Tolerates clay soil and Black Walnut; susceptible to diseases like canker, anthracnose, verticillium wilt as well as occasional pest problems; deer occasionally-to-frequently severely damage, Smooth brown bark, later ridged and furrowed, Snow-pea-like seed pods (legumes) appear from May to December, ripening from green to brown, Pink to fuchsia flower clusters along bare branches appear before leaves in April and May, Heart-shaped, smooth-edged leaves, Short-trunked, deciduous tree with thick spreading branches and umbrella-like crown, Pink to purple, USDA Zones 4-8

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic

Learn more about other Mid-Atlantic plants: Tried and True Plant Fact Sheets