40 CityTREES
landscape scroll. Most plants pos-
sessing these characteristics grow
in the tropics. The redbud's flowers
show pink on brown or black bark,
recalling poet Ezra Pound's famous
line, "petals on a wet black bough."
After flowering, the tree produces
heart-shaped leaves, green and
lustrous in summer, that are 3
to 5 inches (7.6 to 12.7 cm) long
and wide. After that come seed-
pods, primarily late in the season
and occasionally overwintering.
Cercis is small and low branching,
with a rounded crown of 20 to 35
feet (7.6 to 10.7 m) in height and
width. Acid or high pH soils, moist
or dry, are hospitable, and it can
flourish in full or partial shade. It
is featured in Zones 4-9. Cultivars
include 'Forest Pansy', 'Ruby Falls',
and the white-petaled 'Alba', which
looks great among a grouping
of pink. One thing is for sure: in
springtime you will see these little
trees flaunting their stuff for a very
brief time, propagating by the side
of highways, or contained primly
in domesticated front yards.
Annual redbud festivals take place
in Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin,
and the pink explosion of petals
was honored in 1937 by its adop-
tion as the state tree of Oklahoma.
At these festivals the fairgoers
could take a break from corndogs
to consume salads decorated
with Cercis blossoms. They are
deliciously edible and can be
tossed over organic mixed greens
with sesame vinaigrette.
A young 'Alba' tree. Photo from CWPD
Mature redbud in highly urbanized setting. Photo from CWPD
Redbud foliage. Photo by Ethan
M. Dropkin from CWPD
Persistent redbud seedpods.
Photo from CWPD
