Gallatin Conservation Area is in Daviess County, five miles south of Gallatin on Highway 13 and a half mile east on Route M.
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Scientific Name
Cercis canadensis
Family
Fabaceae (beans, peas); formerly in Caesalpiniaceae (sennas)
Description
Eastern redbud is a shrub or small tree. It is beautifully ornamental in spring with small, clustered, rose-purple flowers covering the bare branches before the leaves appear.
Leaves are simple, alternate, 2–6 inches long, 1¼–6 inches wide, oval to heart-shaped, tip pointed, base heart-shaped; upper surface dark green, smooth; lower surface paler and smooth with some hairs along veins and in vein axils; leaf stalk 1¼–5 inches long, smooth.
Bark is reddish brown to gray, thin and smooth when young. Older trees have long grooves and short, thin, blocky plates.
Twigs are slender, smooth, brown to gray, often zigzag, pith white.
Blooms in late March to early May.
Flowers small, 2–8 per cluster, on stalks ¼–¾ inch long; flowers ¼–⅜ inch long, rose-purple, petals 5, in a typical pea-flower configuration.
Fruits are pods 3–4 inches long, about ½ inch wide, tapering at the ends, leathery, reddish brown; seeds several, egg-shaped, flattened, ⅛–¼ inch long. Pods often abundant, appearing September–October and persisting.
Size
At maturity, to 40 feet tall; to 35 feet wide.
Where To Find
Statewide.
Habitat and Conservation
Grows in open woodland, borders of woods, dolomite glades, and along rocky streams and bluffs; also found in landscape plantings. In the wild, it is generally an understory tree.
Status
Common native understory small tree or shrub.
Human Connections
Eastern redbud and its cultivated varieties are favorite small, spring-flowering trees for landscaping; in fall the leaves turn yellow or greenish yellow. Many find the pods attractive as well.
The flowers are edible, with a mild, sweet flavor, and can be a bright topper for early spring salads, either raw or pickled. The small flower clusters may also be dipped in batter and fried. You can add the flowers to muffins, pancakes, or cookies, or you can add them to stir-fries, dips, and dressings. You can use redbud blossoms to make a bright pink jelly (or, skipping the pectin, a syrup).
Our woodlands in spring are beautified by clouds of blooming understory trees, notably the magenta of redbuds and the white of flowering dogwoods. These flowering trees are a boon to Missouri tourism, and local festivals have arisen around them. In years when we have exceptional spring color, the redbuds continue to bloom long enough to overlap the bloom-time of the dogwoods.
A natural genetic difference causes some redbud trees to have white flowers instead of the standard pink/magenta color. This strain is called "white redbud" (botanically, forma alba) and is popular among landscapers.
Eastern redbud has a wide range in eastern North America. It is the official state tree of Oklahoma.
Ecosystem Connections
Like other members of the legume (bean, pea) family, eastern redbud has root nodules that contain symbiotic bacteria; together, the bacteria and the tree can convert ("fix") nitrogen gas from the atmosphere into a form that can be used as a plant nutrient. In this way, legumes enrich the soils they grow in.
The seeds are eaten by several species of birds, and the foliage is browsed by white-tailed deer.
The flowers are a valuable early-spring nectar source for bees, especially various species of native carpenter bees, longhorn bees, bumblebees, cuckoo bees, sweat bees, mason bees and other megachilid bees, and andrenid bees.
Many butterfly and moth caterpillars eat the foliage, especially in spring, and they, in turn, become food for nesting birds. These include the larvae of Henry's elfin and the redbud leaffolder moth (a black-and-white-banded caterpillar that sticks leaves closed with silk).
Leafcutter bees often clip little circles from redbud leaves and use them to line their tubular nests.
Various kinds of beetles chew the leaves, wood, roots, or fruits. One type of leaf beetle, Gibbobruchus mimus, has grublike larvae that eat the seeds inside the developing pods, finally leaving behind a small exit hole in the empty pod. This weevil-like species is called the "redbud bruchid" because its preferred host, by far, is the eastern redbud.
Redbud, as it forms colonies and loose thickets, provides cover for many mammals and birds.
Relatives: Globally, there are about ten members of genus Cercis. A glance at their flowers and leaves, and you can see they're close relatives. If you travel, you might encounter species such as the western redbud, Cercis occidentalis, which is native to northern California and portions of Utah and Arizona, or the European redbud or Judas tree, Cercis siliquastrum, which is native to the Mediterranean regions of southern Europe and western Asia (a.k.a. the Middle East).
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Caption
Eastern redbud, Cercis canadensis.
Credit
Paul Nelson
Right to Use
Photo by Paul Nelson, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
Eastern redbud is a native shrub or small tree that is distinctly ornamental in spring.
Credit
MDC Staff
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Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Caption
Redbud grows statewide, in open woodland, borders of woods, dolomite glades, and along rocky streams and bluffs.
Credit
David Stonner
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Photo by David Stonner, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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In spring, eastern redbud's rose-purple flowers cover the bare branches before the leaves.
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Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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The hot pink flowers of eastern redbud have a nutty, sweet taste similar to sugar snap peas. Yum!
Credit
Cliff White
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Photo by Cliff White, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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For a colorful spring salad, top baby spinach greens with redbud flowers, strawberries, and sliced almonds. A basic vinaigrette shaken with a spoonful of strawberry jam goes nicely with it.
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Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Clusters of hot pink, pea-like flowers hug the branches of an eastern redbud.
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Photo by MDC Staff, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Redbud flowers turn into redbud fruits. At maturity, redbud pods will be 3–4 inches long.
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Use of this image is restricted to MDC only
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Eastern redbud flowers are edible and can be eaten in salads, either raw or pickled.
Credit
Noppadol Paothong
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Photo by Noppadol Paothong, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Credit
A.J. HENDERSHOTT
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Photo by A.J. HENDERSHOTT, courtesy Missouri Department of Conservation
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Video of a redbud tree in bloom.
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Where to See Species
Poosey Conservation Area is in northwest Livingston County, six miles southeast of Jamesport, nine miles northeast of Lock Springs, 12 miles southwest of Trenton and 13 miles northwest of Chillicothe.
Frank E. Wagner, a former WWII prisoner of war, donated this area to the Conservation Department in memory of all American POWs.
About Trees, Shrubs and Woody Vines in Missouri
There are no sharp dividing lines between trees, shrubs, and woody vines, or even between woody and nonwoody plants. “Wood” is a type of tissue made of cellulose and lignin that many plants develop as they mature — whether they are “woody” or not. Trees are woody plants over 13 feet tall with a single trunk. Shrubs are less than 13 feet tall, with multiple stems. Vines require support or else sprawl over the ground.