Eastern Redbud

Basic Information
Tree ID: 
194
Family: 
Fabaceae
Genus and species: 
Cercis canadensis
Description: 
Eastern Redbud, or Cercis canadensis, is a small tree in the Fabaceae (legume) family native to eastern North America, surviving across a wide range of climate regions. Though they live across a range of climates, they do best in moist soil. They are an important plant for many pollinating bee species, including honey bees, carpenter bees, bumble bees, and many others. As a member of the legume family, the flowers develop seed pods during the summer, which birds will often eat. Their leaves are eaten by the caterpillars of some butterfly and moth species. Popular as an ornamental tree for its vivid pink-magenta buds and flowers in the spring, the Eastern Redbud is unique in developing flowers directly on older branches. The Eastern Redbud is a dicot angiosperm, and its flowers typically possess 5 small, oval-shaped petals, and these flowers are typically found in clusters along the branches of the tree. They also possess wide, heart-shaped leaves. The Eastern Redbud is a beautiful and versatile plant, and while we use them for decorative purposes, they play an important role in their ecosystem.
Surveyors: 
Kausar Hassen & Isabella Pedroza
Location
Area: 
Prospect and Sachem
Collected Data
Date of tree entry: 
02/03/2026
Height: 
7.25 m
Diameter at breast height: 
0.22 m

Bark
The Eastern Redbud's bark can be described as having ridges broken horizontally. These ridges seem to be a thin layer of the bark, and a few of them have peeled off to reveal smooth areas underneath. The bark typically starts off as smooth and develops ridges as the tree gets older.
Twigs & branches
The twigs and branches of the Eastern Redbud are relatively thin, being slightly wider at the base where they connect to the trunk and becoming thinner further away. Several twigs and branches shoot off from larger branches, forming a wide and round canopy.
Foilage
When illuminated by sunlight, the Eastern Redbud's leaves seem like their glowing since the light is passing through, giving the tree a remarkable transparent appearance that enhances its aesthetic appeal throughout the seasons. In the fall, the foliage becomes a yellow-green tint, and in some trees and years, it may put on a stunning display of bright yellow. During the summer, the leaves mature to a rich, dark green and are placed alternately along branches with an unique crisscross growth pattern. The leaves are heart-shaped and are normally 3-5 inches long and wide, while also having a sharp tip. They emerge in spring in a bright green stained with crimson. Overall, the Eastern Redbud is noted for its unique and visually beautiful leaves and why they are often planted for visual appeals
Reproductive Structures
When the seeds of this tree fall and reach the ground usually they remain dormant for a couple of years before they can germinate, and when they do, seedlings can reach up to a foot tall in their initial growing season under ideal conditions. These legume pods stay on the tree throughout the winter, and the seeds are finally discharged throuhg the help of animals like bird or just naturall by the walls cracking and breaking off with the wind. Thanks again to both the wind and animals the seeds can be dispersed. But it is important to note that the Eastern Redbud reproduces mainly due to its pink/reddish-purple flowers, which bloom in clusters of two to eight from March to May, long before the legumes and leaves grow. After pollination, the ovaries mature into flat, reddish-brown seed pods that reach full size by midsummer, averaging around 3inches long and holding 4 to 10 tiny, hard, bean-like seeds. The blooms of this tree are bisexual,  which means that this tree has both male and female reproductive systems and because of this the tree may self-pollinate, but they are usually pollinated by bees
Fruit
The fruit of this eastern redbud tree is almost like a bean. In the photo we can see that it is a flat brown (slightly red) pod. Typically each pod contains about 4-10 tiny firm bean-like seeds which makes the eastern redbud’s fruit considered a legume!!! This legume measures about 2-4 inches on average and they begin to grow after the tree’s pink flowers start to fade away from the spring, so by midsummer these fruits will reach their maximum/mature growth size. These legumes will stay lingering on the tree even after all the leaves have fallen (a lot of them stay on during the winter). Since these fruits stay on the tree for a long time it is an important food source for animals like birds and other smaller animals, especially during the winter. One will be able to see the seed by opening the pod wall, this is how seeds are released. Eventually the pod walls will decay and the seeds will be dispersed by animals or winds
Seasons
  • Winter (feb)
  • Spring (Early April)
  • Fully bloomed in spring
  • eastern redbud in the summer
  • eastern redbud in the fall
Research
Habitat: 
This adaptable tree has a wide range of natural habitats throughout eastern United States, from ( northeast) New Jersey and Pennsylvania, to southern Michigan (west) and Nebraska (southeastern ), as well as from south to eastern Texas, and Florida's central eastern region. It flourishes in a broad range of climatic and soil conditions, including acidic, alkaline, clay, and loamy soils in both full sun and moderate shade. It is a medium-growing tree that grows up to two feet each year and matures at a height of 20 to 30 feet. In its native location, the Redbud is frequently found near the borders where hardwood woods meet open fields, one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the forest.
Origin, history, and uses: 
Origin and History
The eastern redbud’s history is filled with both American history and with Christian history. It is also named the Judas tree for a reason and that stems from the story that Judas Iscariot hanged himself from a relative of this tree after betraying Jesus. Though it’s earliest known refrence in America dates back to 1735 by John Custis, but the Spaniards took note of it almost 200 years prior in 1571 when the New World species was distinguished from its Mediterranean cousins, and it was first properly farmed in 1811. The tree also piqued the interest of America’s founding fathers: George Washington wrote in his diary about its beauty and spent time transplanting seedlings into his garden, whereas Thomas Jefferson wrote this tree as a ”Esculent” tree in his 1781 Notes on the State of Virginia and was determined to have additions of it into the landscape plans in both Monticello and Poplar Forest. Nowadays, the Eastern Redbud is appreciated largely as an aesthetic tree, celebrated each spring for its stunning display of purple-pink blooms that blossom earlier than the majority of other trees have leafed out.
 
Uses
The Eastern Redbud tree is incredibly adaptable, bringing a multitude of culinary, medicinal, and functional use. Almost every component of the tree is edible. The blossoms may be consumed fresh in salads, used as decorations, pickled, or baked into sweets, and the immature seed pods can be cooked like snow peas and used in stir-fries and soups. The inside of the bark & twigs were also historically turned into tea. Native Americans took advantage of the trees by boiling the bark  to treat dysentery and improve wound healing.  They thought that the if they had it it could help with whooping cough, fevers, and congestion as well. Because of its culinary uses, the tree became known as the “spice tree” in the Appalachia. Unfortunately for lumberjacks this tree would not be best to work with since the wood is too tiny and oddly shaped for commercial timber, but it is thick, sturdy, and finely grained, making it a pretty good tree for small woodworking projects like knife handles, ornamental bowls, and veneers. Aside from its immediate uses, the Eastern Redbud serves a crucial ecological function by supplying food and shelter for birds, pollinators such as carpenter and mason bees, and small animals, making it an perfect to put in gardens, landscapes, and natural ecosystems. It is because of this some zoo’s mark it their favorite tree because it is a great pollinator.
Phenology: 
Eastern Redbud's go through the following phenophases: flowers or flower buds, open flowers, fruits, ripe fruits, and fruit/seed drop. The Redbud flowers in the Spring, typically between April and May in North America, but with variation based on latitude. Warmer conditions in recent years has shifted this cycle, with flowers appearing earlier in the year in some regions, as early as late February and early March. The flowers are bisexual and are typically pollinated by bees. They are a part of the legume family, and thus produce seeds in flattened pods carrying 4-10 seeds each. Fruit tend to ripen in the late summer into fall, or from late August to early November. They tend to fall in the winter through the following spring when new buds begin to grow.
References: 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/nsl/Wpsm/Cercis.pdf

https://www.usanpn.org/files/campaigns/redbudphenologyarticle_crimmins_e…

https://www.plantingtree.com/blogs/gardening/eastern-redbud-facts

https://www.backyardecology.net/eastern-redbud/

Rowan University Arboretum & Gardens. (2026, February 14). Eastern Redbud | Rowan University Arboretum. Rowan University’s Arboretum. https://arboretum.rowan.edu/trees-species/eastern-redbud/

RedBud | Ohio Department of Natural Resources. (n.d.). https://ohiodnr.gov/discover-and-learn/plants-trees/broad-leaf-trees/red…
 

Wiggins, C. E. (2025, November 30). Edible Eastern redbuds — a teaspoon. A Teaspoon. https://www.ateaspoon.com/food-facts/2022/4/edible-eastern-redbuds-z7rk7

Eastern Redbud | Akron Zoo. (n.d.). https://www.akronzoo.org/plant/eastern-redbud

Tree overview: Eastern Redbud. (n.d.). Arborday. https://www.arborday.org/video/tree-overview-eastern-redbud

Eastern Redbud | Silvics of North America. (n.d.). https://research.fs.usda.gov/silvics/eastern-redbud

Eastern Redbud. (2026, January 8). Monticello. https://www.monticello.org/encyclopedia/eastern-redbud

Smith, B. (2021, April 20). Native Spotlight: Eastern Redbud. butlerswcd. https://www.butlerswcd.org/single-post/native-spotlight-eastern-redbud

Vogt, S., & Vogt, S. (2025, April 15). Plant Profile: Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis). Dyck Arboretum. https://dyckarboretum.org/plant-profile-eastern-redbud-cercis-canadensis/

Cercis canadensis L. (n.d.). https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/ag_654/volume_2/cercis/canadensis.htm

More
Other information of interest: 

Distributional Maps Citation

Map 1 

Map 2

Shrub Canopy Area: 
25.03sq.m.