| Common Name |
Western Redbud, Pata de Vaca |
| Latin Name |
Cercis occidentalis |
| Family / Origin |
Fabaceae / |
| Sunset zone / USDA zone |
2-24 / 8-11 |
| Type / Form |
Tree / Small to medium |
| Native Habitat |
300 to 4,500 feet in California foothill woodlands and
4,00 to 4,500 feet in Mojave and Sonoran Deserts |
| Soil |
Dry to moist, decomposed granite, sand, clay loam, low
to high organic content, well drained |
| Water |
Once or twice per month depending on soil in hot weather |
| Height X Width |
20 feet X 10 feet |
| Protective Mechanism |
None |
| Leaves |
Glossy blue-green, heart shaped, winter deciduous |
| Flowers |
Showy pink, purple, or white flowers in April, rosy seed
pods in May |
| Bark / Roots |
Thin and somewhat scaly, sometimes
ridged, brown / No problematic surface roots |
| Maintenance |
Needs some pruning for tree to be strong |
| Propogation |
Seeds, cuttings |
| Pests and Diseases |
None significant |
| Landscape Uses |
Erosion control, low maintenance, fire retardant,
background, parkways |
| Garden Suitability |
Songbird, Thornless, Butterfly, Fire Retardant,
Ethnobotanical |
| Nature Value |
Flowers used by bees, seeds eaten by birds, larval plant
for butterflies |
| Native American Uses |
Roots used in basketry, seeds roasted and eaten, flowers
eaten |
| Comments |
Looks great multi-trunked |
| Links |
|
| Images and data |
http://www.desert-tropicals.com/Plants/Fabaceae/Cercis_occidentalis.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.cnr.vt.edu/dendro/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=203 |
| Images and data |
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/55753/index.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.bewaterwise.com/gardensoft/plant_description.aspx?PlantID=130 |
| Images and data |
http://www.calflora.org/cgi-bin/species_query.cgi?where-calrecnum=1877 |
| Images and data |
http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/CEROCCA.pdf |
| Images and data |
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/55753/ |
| Images and data |
http://groups.ucanr.org/sonomamg/Plant_of_the_Month/Cercis_occidentalis.htm |
| Images and data |
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Cercis_occidentalis |
| Images and data |
http://www.backyardgardener.com/plantname/pda_43ce.html |
| Images and data |
http://www.bewaterwise.com/gardensoft/plant_description.aspx?PlantID=130 |
| Images and data |
http://ag.arizona.edu/pima/gardening/aridplants/Cercis_occidentalis.html |
| Article |
http://www.csuchico.edu/lbib/spc/iepages/redbud.html |
| Data |
http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Cercis+occidentalis |
| Distribution map |
http://esp.cr.usgs.gov/data/atlas/little/cercocci.pdf |
| Nursery, image, and
data |
http://www.laspilitas.com/plants/191.htm |
| Nursery, image, and
data |
http://www.smgrowers.com/products/plants/plantdisplay.asp?strLetter=C&plant_id=387&page=4 |
| Nursery, image, and
data |
http://www.cnplx.info/nplx/species?taxon=Cercis+occidentalis |
