Cercis canadensis
Common Name: Redbud; Judas Tree

The most appealing feature of this tree is the showy flower, which is magenta in bud, but opens to rosy pink before the leaves emerge early in spring. The flowers appear in clusters that nearly cover the bare branches of the tree. They remain for two to three weeks. They usually appear in early spring after the white flowers of serviceberry and wild plum and before (and during) the white and pink flowers of the flowering dogwood.  Flowers are bisexual and the tree is self-pollinating. Pollination is usually accomplished by bees. The heart-shaped leaves are reddish as they emerge, and gradually turn dark green in summer. The fall color is yellow. Fruits are flat reddish-brown pods about 1/2-inch wide and 2 to 4 inches long. Each fruit contains 4 to 10 brown, hard, compressed bean-like seeds, each about 1/4-inch long. The fruits remain on the tree until after leaf fall; some persist throughout winter. Redbuds growing in the sun will be compact and rounded; when grown in shade, their form is loose, open and tall.

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