Wikimedia Commons
Fabaceae
California Redbud
Cercis occidentalis
Renewal and beauty.
- Family
- Fabaceae
- Genus
- Cercis
- Native to
- California, Arizona, Utah
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Type
- deciduous shrub to small tree
- Height
- 10-20 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- Well-drained, tolerates rocky and poor soils
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 6-9
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- California redbud blooms directly on bare branches and even the trunk in spring, a phenomenon called cauliflory.
- The brilliant magenta-pink flowers appear before the leaves, covering the entire tree in vivid color.
- Native Americans wove the flexible young branches into baskets, and the bark was used to create patterns in the weaving.
- The flowers are edible and have a slightly tangy flavor, used by Indigenous peoples in salads and as trail snacks.
- Heart-shaped leaves emerge bronze-colored after flowering, turn blue-green in summer, and finish with yellow and red fall color.
Color meanings
0
beauty
1
rebirth
2
betrayal