Arkansas Tree Database

Scientific name:

Cercis Canadensis

Size:

18'-30' tall by 18'-35' wide, up to 50' tall

Leaves:

alternate, simple, 3"-5" across, broadly heart-shaped, with 5-9 prominent palmately radiating veins from base, untoothed

Flowers:

very attractive pink-purple (white form 'Alba' also available but not as common), with five petals and shaped like a pea flower; borne on previous year's twigs, branches, and trunk; edible; early spring

Fruit:

flat, thin, brown, pendant pod 2"-3" long and 1/2" wide, persisting into the fall

Fall Interest:

yellow; deciduous

Culture:

best in partial shade; best with constant moisture

Disease/Insect:

occasional canker

Use:

specimen small flowering tree, woodland garden

Cultivars:

'Oklahoma' (texensis) more drought-tolerant, 'Alba,' 'Forest Pansy' with purple leaves, 'The Rising Sun' with yellow and orange new leaves, 'Hearts of Gold'

Notes:

twigs slender, zigzag, and lacking a terminal bud; valuable to native bees and bumblebees; flower and flower bud are edible and high in vitamin C; native to Arkansas