CERCIS CANADENSIS - Redbud
The Redbud tree is a deciduous ornamental tree that grows in North and Central America and is attractive to butterflies.
[Elementary School students]
Did you know?
* This tree is named from a weaver’s shuttle.
* The Genus name comes from the Greek word kerkis meaning weaver’s shuttle because the seed pod like a weaver’s shuttle.
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=h550
What part of the tree is edible?
* The flowers are said to be edible.
https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/cercis-canadensis/
* Native Americans used this tree for medicine.
* Native Americans boiled the bark to make tea and to treat whooping cough.
https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_ceca4.pdf
What insects and birds used this tree for food?
* The Henry’s Elfin Butterfly (Callophyrus henrici) and hummingbirds utilize The Eastern Redbud tree for nectar. Honeybees use the flowers for pollen.
https://plants.usda.gov/factsheet/pdf/fs_ceca4.pdf
Leaf
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=h550
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis_canadensis
[Middle School students]
Habitat (where it likes to live)
* Well drained soils in full sun and shaded areas
* Location: Eastern and central North America (Zone 4 to 8)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis_canadensis
Requirements (what it needs to live)
* Water: Medium to wet
* Maintenance: Low
* Suggested Use: Ornamental Tree, Street Tree, Rain Garden and Natural Areas
Identification (what it looks like)
* One of the first trees to send out flowers in the spring
* Fruit is a 2 to 3 inch long peapod
* Clusters of flowers or ‘buds’ that bloom before the leaves come out:
[High School students]
Habit (how it grows)
* Height: 20 to 30 feet
* Spread: 20 to 35 feet
* Bloom: Spring (March - April)
* Flowers: Pink - Purple
* Seeds: 2 to 4” long pea-pods
* Sun: Full sun to part shade
* Tolerate: Wet Soil, Air Pollution
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=h550
Clusters of flowers
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=h550
http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=h550
Suggested Use (where to plant it):
* Residences – In people’s yards
* Rain Gardens – To look good and help shade other plants
* Parks – Seth Hand Park
* Wooded areas – Natural plantings
* Streets: Street trees under utility lines
References:
- Missouri Botanic Garden – missouribotanicgarden.org
- NC State – https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/all/cercis-canadensis/
- Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis_canadensis