REDBUD 



Cercis canadensis Linnaeus 



When the dogwood buds are bursting into bloom in early spring, 

 a companion tree, the redbud, is seen throughout our southern woods, 

 its knotted branches covered with clusters of purplish-pink,pea-shaped 

 flowers. In favorable localities the tree attains a height of forty or fifty 

 feet, though usually much smaller. The leaves, which develop after the 

 flowers, are heart-shaped — quite unlike those of most legumes — and 

 are a glossy green, turning to yellow in autumn. The flowers are well 

 supplied with nectar, and are most attractive to bees, who visit them 

 in large numbers. In some regions the redbud is known as Judas-tree, 

 a name properly applied to the Old World species, Cercis siliquastrum. 



The tree has a wide range, from Texas to Florida and northward. 

 Though best developed in the South, it has been able to migrate north 

 as far as Minnesota and northern New Jersey, and even a short distance 

 into southern Ontario. 



The specimen drawn was collected near Washington, District of 

 Columbia. 



PLATE 2.6 



