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| ## Western Redbud {#western-redbud .Title-Header}                     |
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| *Cercis orbiculata* Greene                                            |
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| Plant Symbol = CEOR9                                                  |
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*Contributed by: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center*

# Alternate Names

Redbud, California redbud; also recognized as *Cercis occidentalis*
Torr. ex Gray in The Jepson Manual (Hickman 1993) and *Cercis
occidentalis* var. *orbiculata* (Greene) Tidestrom in other floras.

# 

# Uses

*Ethnobotanic*: Western redbud is highly valued by Native American
basket weavers in California for their young, wine-red branches,
harvested in the fall and used in the warp, weft, and designs of
baskets. If the branches are harvested in the spring when the bark
slips, the white inner sapwood may also be used as the weft or lacing in
baskets.

*Other*: Uses include the following: landscaping, furniture, browsing,
and stream stabilization. Western redbud is a good soil stabilizer along
streams, and can withstand periodic flooding. The flowers provide nectar
to bees and the young shoots, leaves, and seedpods are browsed by goats,
and too a limited extent by deer, sheep, and cattle. The browse rating
though for sheep and cattle is poor. Horticulturists have planted redbud
in informal and formal gardens and landscapes since 1886 and it has been
called one of California\'s most attractive flowering shrubs in
gardeners\' manuals and horticultural
guides.![](media/image2.jpeg){width="2.488888888888889in"
height="5.540277777777778in"}

# Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status and wetland indicator values.

# Description

*General*: Pea Family (Fabaceae). Western or California redbud is a
leguminous shrub that grows from 7 to 20 feet tall with a dense rounded
crown that almost reaches the ground. Western redbud is recognized as
*Cercis occidentalis* in older floras. The leaves are simple, thick,
round or reniform, and cordate at the base, and have from seven to nine
prominent veins. They are winter deciduous; their autumn display of
yellow turning to red and brown rivaling that of some eastern hardwoods.
The striking pea-shaped flowers appear before the leaves, in small
fascicles along the branches. Each flower has five petals that range in
color from magenta pink to reddish purple. Pollination is by bumblebees
(*Bombus* sp.) and orchard mason bees *(Osmia lignaria)*. Although the
pink sprays can be seen from February through April, any one shrub will
remain in flower only about two weeks. In autumn the branches often bear
many clusters of pointed, flat, vary thin pods, the upper suture with a
conspicuous winged margin. In ripening, the pods are first purple and
then russet-brown, each containing an average of seven hard, bean-like
seeds. The mature pods persist into the next winter. Known from the
southwest U.S.

# Distribution

For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this
species on the PLANTS Web site. Native to California, Arizona, and Utah,
redbud is found in at least five plant communities including oak
woodland, chaparral, mixed conifer forest, riparian woodland, and closed
cone forest.

# Establishment

*Adaptation*: It grows at elevations of 4,000 ft. or less, in canyons
and on rather steep slopes, in gravely, and rocky soils along streams,
where it is never flooded. It also grows in the bottom of ephemeral
streambeds in little pockets, benches, or crannies of boulder
outcroppings. The plant is drought tolerant, sun-loving, and grows in a
wide variety of soils, but it is usually found in rather harsh
environments with course, nutrient-poor soils that are well-drained. It
grows mostly singly, but sometimes, in sheltered situations, in shrubby
clumps.

If possible, gather the seed from local sources, to maintain genetic
diversity of redbud. The seedpods can be collected in the fall of the
year from September to November from redbud branches. Redbud seeds are
adapted for prolonged periods of dryness and cold and they require
special pretreatment to germinate, owing to an impervious seed coat plus
a dormant embryo. One method is to place the seeds into a container and
pour boiling water over them and let the seeds soak overnight. They can
then be covered with damp peat moss and refrigerated for two months or
they can be planted right away. The germination of redbud seed in the
wild is favored by fire, which cracks the seed coat and generates the
heat needed to stimulate germination.

Plant the treated seed in the fall in flats, spacing the seeds
approximately one to two inches apart. Use a slow-release fertilizer in
the planting mix. Cover with about a quarter-inch of soil (approximately
3 to 4 times the width of the seed). To reduce the possibility of
damping off, keep the flats outdoors in a protected area with partial
shade and little wind. Water the flats through the winter and the let
the plants grow one full year before planting them out. The seedlings
will be about three inches to one foot tall by the following fall. Plant
the seedlings in a sunny location with good drainage. If gophers are a
problem, plant redbud seedlings in cages. Watering is not necessary
until the following summer, in a normal rainfall year. Give the young
plants summer water for the first three years in the ground. This
amounts to once every two weeks in a hot climate and less in a coastal
climate. Do not over water, as redbud will not tolerate summer water in
the root crown area (at the soil level) and will suffer crown rot
(*Phytophthora* sp.) if over-watered. When leaves first emerge in the
spring, use liquid fertilizer to boost growth.

# Management

*Pruning*: Periodic pruning of redbud, after it has reached the minimum
age of 5 years, can be accomplished to remove dead or dying branches
that might harbor diseases or insects. Pruning should take place in the
fall, winter, or early spring, after leaf drop and during the dormant
period. Contemporary Native American weavers practice two types of
pruning. One technique is coppicing where the whole plant is cut to
within several inches of the ground. Redbud vigorously resprouts from
the coppice stool, sending up young straight shoots with a beautiful red
pigment. This can bring added color to gardens and also these shoots are
highly valued for basket weaving. Coppicing, however, should only be
done on mature shrubs\--at least a decade old. Flowering will be lost,
until the young sprouts are two to three years old and shed the red
pigment and form true bark. The other technique is selective pruning
within the canopy to direct the growth of the plant. This pruning,
leaves some older flowering branches, important for bees and
butterflies.

*Burning*: Before Euro-American settlement of California, Native
Americans conducted purposeful burning of hillsides in the fall of the
year, after redbud has shed its leaves, to encourage the growth of
young, straight shoots used extensively in basketry. Redbud also
resprouts vigorously after fires.

A pathogen that infects redbud leaves is *Alternaria* sp. while
*Botrytis* sp. is a gray mold that causes foliage or flower blight. Two
fungi that cause root rot in redbud include *Fusarium solani* and
*Verticillium dahliae.* A fungus that infects old seedpods is *Didymella
leguminis-cytisis*. Most of these diseases will debilitate, but not kill
redbud. Fire is an effective tool to use to eliminate the above-ground
pathogens inhabiting redbud.

# Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

CEOR9 is readily available through most nurseries within its range.
Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service (formerly Soil
Conservation Service) office for more information. Look in the phone
book under "United States Government." The Natural Resources
Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading "Department of
Agriculture."

# References

Anderson, M.K. 1991. *California Indian horticulture: management and use
of redbud by the Southern Sierra Miwok*. Journal of Ethnobiology
11(1):145-157.

Hickman, J.C. ed. 1993. *The Jepson manual. Higher plants of
California*. University of California Press, Berkeley, California. 1400
p.

McMinn, H.E. 1939. *An illustrated manual of California shrubs.*
University of California Press: Berkeley, California.

Sampson, A.W. & B.S. Jesperson. 1963. *California range brushlands and
browse plants.* University of California, Div. of Agricultural Sciences.
Agricultural Experiment Station, Extension Service. Manual 33. 162 pp.

Schmidt, M.G. 1980. *Growing California native plants.* University of
California Press, Berkeley, California.

USDA, NRCS 1999. *The PLANTS database*. National Plant Data Center,
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. \<http://plants.usda.gov\>. Version: 991206.

# Prepared By & Species Coordinator

##### *M. Kat Anderson*

USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center

c/o Plant Science Department, University of California, Davis,
California

Edited: 05dec00 jsp; 01may03 ahv; 01jun06 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

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