Trees & woodland lore · Western North Carolina field companion
Forest Pansy redbud
Cercis canadensis
Forest Pansy redbud leaves; cultivar named by the Wikimedia Commons contributor.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadePhoto by David J. Stang ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.
Purple foliage may green in summer heat; avoid wet soil.
A broad heart-shaped blade has veins radiating from its base. Follow the stalk to an alternate bud.
More growing details
Read the bark
Young bark is relatively smooth; older trunks develop small, thin plates.
Fruit & seed
Flat bean-like pods often linger on branches. Pods support a redbud identification even when flowers are gone.
Winter character
Dark zigzag twigs, alternate buds, and lingering pods offer useful clues.
Origin & place
The species occurs naturally in the southern Appalachian region; a planted specimen is not evidence of wild local origin.
Compare with Katsura
Katsura usually has opposite leaves with small rounded teeth; redbud leaves are alternate and smooth-edged.
WNC Notes
Purple foliage may green in summer heat; avoid wet soil.
Sun Exposure
Full sun–part shade
MATURE HEIGHT (FT)
20–25
MATURE WIDTH (FT)
20–30
BLOOM SEASON
Early spring
BLOOM COLOR
Pink-purple
FALL / WINTER COLOR
Purple-red
Wet-Soil Tolerance
Low–moderate
Drought Tolerance
Moderate
LOOK CLOSELY
Two views, a closer look.
Place two photographs beside one another. Compare the overall plant with leaves, flowers, or bark when those views are available. Captions identify what each photograph actually shows. Images are not at the same scale; species references may show different cultivars.
Forest Pansy redbud leaves; cultivar named by the Wikimedia Commons contributor.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadePhoto by David J. Stang ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.Heart-shaped leaves. Taxon reference; photograph alone does not establish a named cultivar.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeDavid J. Stang ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; no diagnostic content altered.Rough brown bark — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeDavid J. Stang ↗ · CC BY-SA 4.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.Group of dangling, dried bean pods — species reference; cultivar identity not inferred.☀ Full sun · ◐ Part sun or part shadeJDMcGreg ↗ · CC BY-SA 3.0Photo contextResized and converted to WebP; full original composition retained.
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