Master Gardeners of Northern Virginia

Over 40 Years of Growing Gardens and Gardeners

Phlox Subulata (moss pink) in landscape. Photo © Elaine Mills

TREE:  Cercis canadensis (Eastern Redbud)

Tried and True Native Plant Selections for the Mid-Atlantic

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In early spring, copious clusters of fabulous pink to fuchsia flowers hug bare branches in a rare occurrence called cauliflory. This understory tree with heart-shaped leaves is found 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 and southern PA. Its status in DE is historical. In VA, it is common in the mountains and the Piedmont and infrequent in the Coastal Plain.

Learn more about Cercis canadensis.

The young branches of Cercis canadensis (eastern redbud)
Cercis canadensis (eastern redbud) displaying cauliflory, a rare occurrence in which flowers grow along the sides of mature trunks and branches in the Quarry Shade Garden, Bon Air Park, Arlington, Virginia.
Cercis canadensis tree in April bloom
Cercis canadensis (eastern redbud) at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Arlington in April.
Cercis canadensis leaves in July.
Cercis canadensis fruit
Cercis canadensis maturing legumes
Cercis canadensis tree in September

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