Each month, Pasadena Beautiful Tree Program Chair Emina Darakjy presents a ‘tree of the month’ in order to educate Pasadenans about the trees around them. Many people drive by trees they admire, but have no idea what they are called, or what their growing habits are. Pasadena Beautiful was founded in 1960 by a group of volunteers who saw a need to beautify their city and enhance its tree canopy.
All varieties of redbuds belong to the legume family (Fabaceae). The eastern redbud is native to the Eastern United States and is found growing in many areas across the country. This tree is not to be confused with the Cercis Occidentalis, commonly known as the Western Redbud and is native to California.
The Eastern Redbud is a large shrub or a small to medium size deciduous fast -growing tree reaching a height of about 25 feet to 35 feet with a short trunk and a rounded crown.
The trunk/bark is grayish-brown, smooth when young becoming fissured and scaly as the tree matures.
The leaves are simple alternate, heart-shaped with a pointed tip. The leaves are shiny green when they first come out changing to red and orange in late summer. The leaves of a cultivar called ‘Forest Pansy’ are maroon colored.
In the spring, from March to May and before the leaves come out, clusters of bright mauve-pink flowers are borne on bare branches including parts of the trunk. The flowers are shaped like tiny peas, serve as good pollinators and are followed by flat paper-thin green seed pods, before they turn dark brown and split open releasing their seeds.
The Eastern Redbud is easy to grow, requires low maintenance, prefers a well-drained soil, moderate watering, full sun to partial shade, and has no known pests or diseases. It is also very often grown as a multi-trunk, but can be trained to be a single trunk. This tree is rarely planted as a street tree.
Because of its spectacular flowers it is an excellent choice as an ornamental tree in a park or in one’s garden.
There are several species within the Redbud family, the one called ‘Forest Pansy’ is the better suited one for California.
In 1937, the Eastern Redbud was officially designated as the state tree of Oklahoma where you can find it growing wild on hills and valleys throughout the state.
It is also said that Native Americans enjoyed eating the flowers and buds of this tree and used its bark to make medicine to treat various ailments with.
With so many spectacular flowering trees around us, the Eastern Redbud still stands out from the glorious parade.
