North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Cercis canadensis

Cercis canadensis L.

eastern redbud, eastern redbud, judas tree

Cultivar(s): Ace of Hearts, Appalachian Red, Covey, Floating Clouds, Forest Pansy, Hearts of Gold, Little Woody, Pauline Lily, Rising Sun, Royal White, Tennessee Pink, Unknown A

Image ID: 12394
Image by: Cressler, Alan M.
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: CECA4
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Cercis canadensis
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2019-11-30

CULTIVAR INDEX

Cult_id	Cultivar_name	Action
1227	Ace of Hearts	View
1228	Appalachian Red	View
1229	Covey	View
1230	Floating Clouds	View
1231	Forest Pansy	View
1232	Hearts of Gold	View
1233	Little Woody	View
1234	Pauline Lily	View
1711	Rising Sun	View
1235	Royal White	View
1236	Tennessee Pink	View
1237	Unknown A	View

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: CERCI2
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Cercis
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Redbud
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 6-10 species, trees of north temperate areas. Apparently the basalmost (evolutionarily the earliest diverging) extant genus in the Fabaceae (Lewis et al. 2005).
GENUS IDENTIFICATION:
GENUS REFERENCES: Isely (1975)=Z; Isely (1990)=SE; Robertson & Lee (1976)=Y; Isely (1998)=I.

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: FABACE
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Fabaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: Lindley 1836 or LEGUMINOSAE A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Legume Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 730 genera and 20,000 species, trees, shrubs, and herbs, cosmopolitan.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Isely (1990)=SE (throughout the family treatment); Isely (1998)=I; Lewis et al. (2005); Wojciechowski, Lavin, & Sanderson (2004); Wilbur (1963a); Robertson & Lee (1976).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO: A small deciduous tree, usually ranging from 5â€“10 m (16â€“33 ft.) tall when mature. Bark of older trunks is gray-brown, and shallowly furrowed and ridged, sometimes flaky. Leaves are alternate, 5â€“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), 4â€“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.
STEMS: Pith continuous. Young twigs (1-year-old or less) black or brown or reddish-brown, glabrous. Twigs (2â€“4 years old) glabrous. Leaf scars triangular, bundle scars 2â€“3 per leaf scar, stipule scars absent. Bark of mature trunks flaky or furrowed or ridged. Buds axillary or superposed, black or purple or reddish-brown, 2â€“3 mm long, blunt, glabrous or pubescent, bud scales imbricate or valvate.
LEAVES: Leaves deciduous, simple, petiolate, alternate, 5â€“12.5 cm long, 6â€“15 cm wide, cordate or orbiculate or ovate or reniform, leaf margins entire, leaf apices acuminate or acute or obtuse, leaf bases cordate or truncate. Leaf upper surface blue-green or green, glabrous or glabrate. Leaf lower surface green, glabrous or glabrate or pubescent. Leaf venation palmate. Petioles 4â€“13 cm long. Stipules present, caducous.
INFLORESCENCE: Inflorescences axillary, fascicles or simple umbels, flowers stalked.
FLOWERS: Flowers bisexual. Perianth. Calyx bilaterally symmetric, synsepalous. Sepals 5 per flower, calyx tubes 2â€“3 mm long, ascending or appressed, purple or red or rose, persistent. Corolla bilaterally symmetric, apopetalous. Petals 5 per flower, 5â€“10 mm long, spreading or ascending, pink or purple or rose or white, keeled or oblong or ovate, petal apices rounded. Androecium. Stamens 10 per flower, separate. Gynoecium. Ovaries superior, pistils 1 per flower. Gynoecium monocarpous, 1 carpels per flower, styles 1 per pistil, placentation marginal. Other floral features. Hypanthia present.
FRUITS: Fruits legumes, 4â€“10 cm long, black or brown, fruit maturation 1 years.
COMMENTS: Leaves appear to be simple but are technically unifoliolate, apparently resulting from the reduction of a compound leaf to a single leaflet, as is evident by a small angled extension (pulvinus) at the end of the leaf stalk; flowers emerge in clusters on older branches or the trunk.
HEIGHT: 16â€“33 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Shrub, Tree

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION: Deciduous

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: February - April

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
	x	x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: Rosy pink/purple flowers

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
		x						x

FRUITING PERIOD:

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE: Bottomlands, Dry forests, Moist forests
NATIVE RANGE: central & eastern United States

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Redbud is a great small flowering tree for the home. As spring approaches this native produces a beautiful array of flower clusters all along bare branches. This happens before leaves emerge, which makes it all the more showy. Its heart shaped leaves are three to five inches across and can have an attractive yellow fall color. Two to three inch brown, pea-like seed pods will form in clusters around mid-summer. Branches have a zig-zag appearance and this can add great architecture to the landscape during the dormant season. This genus supports up to 19 lepidoptera species.

Bloom Table Text: Redbud is a great small flowering tree for the home. As spring approaches this native produces a beautiful array of flower clusters all along bare branches. This happens before leaves emerge, which makes it all the more showy. Its heart shaped leaves are three to five inches across and can have an attractive yellow fall color. Two to three inch brown, pea-like seed pods will form in clusters around mid-summer. Branches have a zig-zag appearance and this can add great architecture to the landscape during the dormant season. This genus supports up to 19 lepidoptera species.

NCBG Location: Found throughout NCBG Landscapes.

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Average
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Sun, Part Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 4
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 9
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly, Butterfly Friendly
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
215	HORT	2011-01-01	Liloia	View
1461	HORT			View
1935	HORT	2012-06-05	MacIntyre	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
216	2011-0042	2011-01-31	215	View
808	1985-0469			View
809	1985-0470			View
2057	1986-1851			View
2818	1987-0318			View
3517	1991-0170			View
3746	1991-0441			View
4524	1992-0680			View
4917	1995-0035			View
5082	1995-0201			View
5622	1995-0746			View
6015	1995-1146			View
7644	2000-0409	2007-07-20		View
8360	2005-0136	2005-04-12		View
8361	2005-0137	2005-04-12		View
8362	2005-0138	2005-04-12		View
8363	2005-0139	2005-04-12		View
8364	2005-0140	2005-04-12		View
8365	2005-0141	2005-04-12		View
8366	2005-0142	2005-04-12		View
8380	2005-0156	2005-04-12		View
8382	2005-0158	2005-04-12		View
8383	2005-0159	2005-04-12		View
8384	2005-0160	2005-04-12		View
8385	2005-0161	2005-04-12		View
8386	2005-0162	2005-04-12		View
8599	2006-0178	2006-08-11		View
8766	2007-0035	2007-03-14		View
8782	2007-0052	2007-03-14		View
8790	2007-0060	2007-03-14		View
8792	2007-0062	2007-03-14		View
8844	2007-0154	2007-06-20		View
9148	2007-0171	2007-07-17	1461	View
9179	2012-0109	2020-04-08	1935	View
9467	2021-0127	2021-12-21	0	View
9669	2023-0117	2023-12-14	0	View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
437	216	100	Tomberlin	2011-02-01	View
438	216	46	Tomberlin	2011-02-22	View
439	216	28	NCBG staff	2011-10-25	View
440	217	103	Wenck	2011-02-01	View
1543	808	157	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
1544	808	155	NCBG staff	2002-12-15	View
1545	808	164	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
1546	809	181	NCBG staff	1981-03-26	View
3361	2057	11	NCBG staff	1967-12-31	View
3362	2057	6	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
3363	2057	188	NCBG staff	1986-12-31	View
4678	2818	8	NCBG staff	1979-03-18	View
4679	2818	8	NCBG staff	1979-03-18	View
4680	2818	8	NCBG staff	1979-03-18	View
4681	2818	8	NCBG staff	1979-03-18	View
5774	3517	200	NCBG staff	1991-12-04	View
6053	3746	199	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
6852	4524	200	NCBG staff	1993-03-01	View
7336	4917	202	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
7501	5082	203	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
8136	5622	204	NCBG staff	1993-01-01	View
8648	6015	2	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
8649	6015	2	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
8650	6015	2	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
8651	6015	2	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
8652	6015	2	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
8653	6015	2	NCBG staff	1992-01-01	View
10817	7644	155	NCBG staff	2000-01-01	View
10818	7644	157	NCBG staff	2000-01-01	View
11640	8363	153	NCBG staff	1967-12-01	View
11641	8364	153	NCBG staff	2006-06-01	View
11642	8365	162	NCBG staff	2006-10-01	View
11647	8380	153	NCBG staff	2006-06-01	View
11789	8599	205	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
12013	8766	65	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
12034	8782	71	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
12042	8790	68	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
12044	8792	70	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
12086	8844	73	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
12109	9148	53	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
12149	9179	176	MacIntyre	2012-06-06	View
12272	8366	142	Liloia	2000-01-01	View
12656	0	19	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
12852	0	21	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
12949	9467	154	MacIntyre	0000-00-00	View
12950	9467	157	MacIntyre	0000-00-00	View
13007	0	17	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
13018	0	15	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
13102	0	18	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
13111	216	25	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
13257	0	111	Wait	0000-00-00	View
13629	0	60	Liloia	0000-00-00	View
14007	0	29	Mixon	0000-00-00	View
14085	0	34	Wait	0000-00-00	View
14156	9669	166	Neal	0000-00-00	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: CECA4
USDA Common Name: Eastern Redbud
Native Status: L48 (N), CAN (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NE, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WI, WV), CAN (ON)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Tree, Shrub

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	UPL		UPL		FACU	UPL		FACU	FACU	UPL

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME:
COMMON NAME:
SYNONYMY:
PHENOLOGY:
HABITAT:
COMMENTS:
RANGE MAP:

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Fabaceae Lindley 1836 or LEGUMINOSAE A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Legume Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 730 genera and 20,000 species, trees, shrubs, and herbs, cosmopolitan.
REFERENCE: Isely (1990)=SE (throughout the family treatment); Isely (1998)=I; Lewis et al. (2005); Wojciechowski, Lavin, & Sanderson (2004); Wilbur (1963a); Robertson & Lee (1976).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Cercis L. (Redbud)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 6-10 species, trees of north temperate areas. Apparently the basalmost (evolutionarily the earliest diverging) extant genus in the Fabaceae (Lewis et al. 2005).
REFERENCE: Isely (1975)=Z; Isely (1990)=SE; Robertson & Lee (1976)=Y; Isely (1998)=I.

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Cercis canadensis in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Cercis canadensis in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Cercis canadensis in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Cercis canadensis in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Cercis canadensis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Cercis canadensis

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 12394 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 12394 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 7275 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 12394 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)