Sign 2
Redbud ‘Whitewater’
Variegated Weeping
Cercis canadensis
‘Whitewater’
- Bloom Time:
- April–May
- Family:
- Pea (Fabaceae)
- Form:
- Tree, Deciduous
Tree
Description: Blooming in April and May, the Redbud’s flowers attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. It’s a deciduous tree approximately 8’ tall x 6’ wide.
Redbud flowers are edible and have been added to salads, breads, and pickles by Native American communities for generations. The inner bark was brewed into teas to treat fevers and congestion. Its early blossoms have long signaled the arrival of spring to farmers and foragers alike.
Photo: Dcrjsr, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. The photo shows the eastern redbud species; ‘Whitewater’ has the same flowers.
More plant info
What to look for
Redbud flowers open on bare branches in April and May, and they even sprout straight from the trunk. ‘Whitewater’ is a weeping form of our native eastern redbud whose heart-shaped leaves are splashed with white. Watch for flat seed pods in summer: redbud is in the pea family, and the pods look like small snow peas.
Where it comes from
Eastern redbud grows wild from southern Michigan and southern Ontario south to central Mexico. In the woods it is an understory tree, flowering at the edges of larger trees. Its leaves feed the caterpillars of Henry’s elfin, a small spring butterfly, along with several moths.
People and redbud
The flowers are edible fresh or fried, and in southern Appalachia the green twigs were used to season wild game, which earned the tree the name spicewood. Native Americans ate the flowers raw or boiled and roasted the seeds.
Sources
Guided tours of the arboretum are free, by appointment. Text Mary at 978-887-4202.