City of Fort Smith TreeQuest Winner - 2004
City's Largest Known Species to Date

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The Eastern Redbud is a popular landscape tree known for its showy spring flowers. It has a maximum age of about thirty years. It is common in moist soils of valleys and slopes in the forest under story and is the State tree of Oklahoma.

Bark: The bark is dark brown, usually with orange inner bark peeking through. The thinness of the bark causes it to be easily damaged by mechanical impact such as weed eaters.

Foliage: The 3 - 5 inch long leaves are heart-shaped, with a leathery texture, and a dark, pine-green color, turning a showy yellow color in the fall.

Flowers: The purple-pink flowers are borne in masses of tiny florets along the zigzagging stems before any of the leaves appear in the spring. The blooms are highly valued by gardeners for the flowering ornamental uses in landscaping. The native non-hybridized Eastern Redbud's spring flowering is noticeable along the natural woodsy areas near highways or other wild places, during their bloom from March - April and last for 2-3 weeks.

Fruit: The 2 - 3 inch long, 1/2 inch wide fruit grows inside pods along the stems. Seeds mature from July to August and range in color from a green to brown. This fruit poses a litter problem due to the pods.

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More Information

Tree ID Number:	538
Scientific Name:	Cercis canadensis
Mature Height:	20 - 30ft.
Canopy Spread (Diameter):	15 - 25ft..
Branching Shape:	Irregular round crown or outline
Growth Rate:	Medium growth rate
Wood Strength:	Softwood.
Cold Hardiness Zone:	4-9
Soil Moisture Requirements:	Moist, Dry
Light Requirements:	Sun, Part or Dappled Shade
Common Pests:	Leaf rollers, leaf hoppers, caterpillars, cankers, leaf spots, verticillium wilt, root rot and scale.
Comments:	Great landscape tree for smaller yards.

Find this tree on the Campus Map

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