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''Cercis occidentalis'', the western redbud or California redbud (syn. ''Cercis orbiculata'' — Greene), is a small tree or shrub in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is found primarily in
Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...
, with other populations in parts of Utah and Arizona. It is easily recognized when it is in bloom from March to May, when it is covered with small pink to purple flowers.


Description

''Cercis occidentalis'' is a deciduous shrub to small tree, growing up to tall. The largest individual is in Santa Rosa and is high. Its crown is rounded on clustered, erect branches to a width of . The branches are thin, shiny, and brown. Twigs are slender, erect, and hairless. The leaves are arranged alternately along the twigs and are simple, round, and slightly leathery, growing to in diameter, with petioles. They have heart shaped bases with entire margins. Leaves have 7 to 9 fan-like veins. The upper surfaces of the leaves are dark green, shiny, and hairless, while their lower surfaces are green and hairless. They start as light green early in the season and darken as they age; on plants at higher elevation, leaves may turn gold or red as the weather cools. Inflorescences are unbranched and showy with bright pink or magenta flowers. Flowers, described as similar to pea flowers, measure about long and appear before leaves emerge. They grow in clusters all over the shrub, making the plant very colorful and noticeable in the landscape. The fruits are
legume Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...
pods, long and about wide, thin and dry, and brown or reddish-purple. The clustered pods persist through winter. It is an abundant seeder and seeds have a high rate of germination. It endures shade in early life and light shade when mature; shade tolerance appears to be greater with increased soil moisture. The wood is fine-grained, dark yellowish brown, with a thin layer of whitish sapwood. Compared to the more commonly cultivated '' Cercis canadensis'', it has more rounded leaves and tends to grow as a small shrub rather than a tree, although it does commonly grow as larger trees up to 25 feet tall, particularly in natural settings.


Habitat

Its native habitats include foothill woodlands and chaparrals; they grow near stream banks in dry foothills and lower canyon slopes below . It grows frequently in crevices and pockets where seeds are well covered with mineral soil.


Ecology

''Cercis occidentalis'' flowers bloom in spring from February to April. As is the case with other legumes, it is a nitrogen-fixing plant because of the presence of root nodules, allowing symbiotic bacteria to produce nitrogen. They grow singly and in shrubby clumps alongside
California buckeye ''Aesculus californica'', commonly known as the California buckeye or California horse-chestnut, is a species of buckeye native to California and southwestern Oregon. Description Aesculus californica is a large deciduous shrub or small tree, u ...
,
ceanothus ''Ceanothus'' is a genus of about 50–60 species of nitrogen-fixing shrubs and small trees in the buckthorn family (Rhamnaceae). Common names for members of this genus are buckbrush, California lilac, soap bush, or just ceanothus. ''"Ceanothus" ...
, manzanita, and other chaparral brush. It is noted for attracting birds and other wildlife. The leaves are harvested by native leafcutter bees and the flowers are an important nectar and pollen source for native insects and hummingbirds. It can be susceptible to occasional tent caterpillar infestations, but these can be controlled. It is also known to be susceptible to other caterpillars as well as crown rot,
phytophthora ''Phytophthora'' (from Greek (''phytón''), "plant" and (), "destruction"; "the plant-destroyer") is a genus of plant-damaging oomycetes (water molds), whose member species cause economic losses on crops worldwide, as well as environmental dam ...
,
root rot Root rot is a condition in which anoxic conditions in the soil or potting media around the roots of a plant cause them to rot. This occurs due to excessive standing water around the roots.-Hydroponics Root Rot: What is It, How To Treat It, How ...
, and scales. It is resistant to oak root fungus and armillaria.


Uses

Indigenous Californians use the twigs of the western redbud to weave baskets, and even
prune A prune is a dried plum, most commonly from the European plum (''Prunus domestica'') tree. Not all plum species or varieties can be dried into prunes. Use of the term ''prune'' for fresh plums is obsolete except when applied to varieties of ...
the shrub to encourage growth of new twigs. The bark provides a faint reddish
dye Juan de Guillebon, better known by his stage name DyE, is a French musician. He is known for the music video of the single "Fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical ele ...
for the finished basketry. It has been described as being worthy of notice for
foresters A forester is a person who practises forest management and forestry, the science, art, and profession of managing forests. Foresters engage in a broad range of activities including Restoration ecology, ecological restoration and management of Pr ...
only because of their use in "forming a scanty cover along dry, rocky borders of streams," and the wood has been described as being of no economic or domestic use.


Cultivation

''Cercis occidentalis'' is cultivated as an
ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...
and tree, for planting in parks and gardens, and as a street tree. It is also used in drought tolerant,
native plant In biogeography, a native species is indigenous to a given region or ecosystem if its presence in that region is the result of only local natural evolution (though often popularised as "with no human intervention") during history. The term is equi ...
, and
wildlife garden A wildlife garden (or habitat garden or backyard restoration) is an Biophysical environment, environment created with the purpose to serve as a sustainable haven for surrounding wildlife. Wildlife gardens contain a variety of habitats that cater t ...
s.Las Pilitas Nursery database — ''Cercis occidentalis'' (Western Redbud)
. accessed 3.23.2013
It is also used as a screen tree.


Cultural significance

''Cercis occidentalis'' is important to the ethnobotany of multiple native groups, being used in
basketry Basket weaving (also basketry or basket making) is the process of weaving or sewing pliable materials into three-dimensional artifacts, such as baskets, mats, mesh bags or even furniture. Craftspeople and artists specialized in making baskets ...
, and has different names in their respective languages. Botanist Victor King Chestnut gave the name for the tree in various north California indigenous languages; according to him, the Yuki call the tree ''Chā'ā'', the Koncow call it or , the Ukiah (cited as ''Yokia'') call it ''Kälā' ä kälã''', and it is called ''Mūlā in Northern Pomo.


Images

File:California Redbud (7230960646).jpg, Redbud during spring, March 2012 File:Western red bud near Briceburg 2019-04-14.jpg, Western redbud near Briceburg, California April 2019 File:Merced canyon spring 2019.jpg, Redbud, poppies and much more − Merced River canyon March 2019


References


Bibliography

* Casebeer, M. (2004). ''Discover California Shrubs''. Sonora, California: Hooker Press. *


External links


Jepson Manual Treatment — ''Cercis occidentalis'' (western redbud)CalFlora Database: ''Cercis occidentalis''USDA Plants Profile: ''Cercis orbiculata'' ''(Cercis occidentalis)''Interactive Distribution Map for ''Cercis occidentalis''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5063945 occidentalis Flora of California Flora of Arizona Flora of Nevada Flora of Utah Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States) Natural history of the California Coast Ranges Garden plants of North America Drought-tolerant plants Ornamental trees Flora without expected TNC conservation status Plants described in 1850 Taxa named by Asa Gray