General Plant Information (Edit)
Plant Habit: Shrub
Tree
Life cycle: Perennial
Sun Requirements: Full Sun
Full Sun to Partial Shade
Water Preferences: Mesic
Dry Mesic
Dry
Minimum cold hardiness: Zone 5a -28.9 °C (-20 °F) to -26.1 °C (-15 °F)
Maximum recommended zone: Zone 10b
Plant Height: 10 - 20 feet
Plant Spread: 10 - 15 feet
Leaves: Good fall color
Deciduous
Broadleaf
Other: Rounded heart-shaped leaves emerge apple green, aging to blue-green.
Flowers: Showy
Flower Color: Pink
Other: Pink to magenta, Rose-purple. Requires Winter frost to bloom
Bloom Size: Under 1"
Flower Time: Late winter or early spring
Spring
Late spring or early summer
Suitable Locations: Xeriscapic
Uses: Flowering Tree
Dynamic Accumulator: Nitrogen fixer
Wildlife Attractant: Bees
Butterflies
Hummingbirds
Resistances: Deer Resistant
Drought tolerant
Pollinators: Bees
Miscellaneous: Tolerates poor soil
Goes Dormant
Awards and Recognitions: Other: UC Davis Arboretum All Star

Image
Common names
  • Western Redbud
  • California Redbud
  • Arizona Redbud
  • Pata de Vaca
  • Dop
  • Tal'k
Botanical names
  • Accepted: Cercis occidentalis
  • Synonym: Cercis canadensis var. orbiculata
  • Synonym: Cercis orbiculata

Photo Gallery
Location: Bea’s garden
Date: 2021
Location: Bea’s garden
Date: 2021
Location: my garden, Utah
Date: 2021-05-01
Location: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, California
Date: 2013-03-23
Naturalized outside of its native range

Date: 2015-04-08

Date: 2015-04-08
Location: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, California
Date: 2013-03-23
Location: Coastal San Diego County 
Date: 2018-03-23
Location: Hamilton Square Perennial Garden, Historic City Cemetery, Sacramento CA.
Date: 2015-03-13
Location: Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.
Date: April
photo by Stan Shebs
Location: Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.
Date: April
photo by Stan Shebs
Location: sherwood oregon
Date: 2014-10-07 
fall leaves
Location: Red Rock Canyon, Nevada.
Date: April
photo by Stan Shebs
Location: Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area, California
Date: 2014-02-07

Date: 2015-04-08
Comments:
  • Posted by Johannian (The Black Hills, SD - Zone 4b) on Feb 8, 2022 9:42 PM concerning plant:
    One of the most handsome shrubs of the western foothills; commonly used as an ornamental. In spring, the entire plant is covered with bright rose-pink flowers; the dense foliage is dark green in summer, reddish in the fall. Indians made baskets from the shredded bark, and extracts from the bark were used medicinally.

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