Plant · P-1144

Texas Redbud

Cercis canadensis

Texas redbud is a small, glossy-leaved understorey tree that flowers directly on bare branches and even the trunk in early spring, before any leaves appear. The edible pink-purple blooms taste faintly sour and are eaten raw, pickled or fried, and the unopened buds make a caper substitute. Despite pea-shaped flowers and pods that look like a fertility legume, it does not fix nitrogen. Bees and butterflies swarm the spring bloom, but the wood is short-lived and prone to stem canker, so it is best treated as a tree replaced every couple of decades rather than a permanent fixture.