{"slug":"cercis-occidentalis","scientific_name":"Cercis occidentalis","common_names":["Western redbud","California redbud"],"family":"Fabaceae","type":"broadleaf_deciduous","mature_height_m":5,"mature_spread_m":4,"growth_rate":"medium","lifespan_years":175,"hardiness_zones":[6,9],"sun":"full_partial","water":"low","soil":"Well-drained soil of almost any type, acid or alkaline; drought tolerant once established","native_range":"Foothills and canyons of California and southwestern Oregon, with closely related redbuds (Cercis orbiculata) in Utah, Arizona and Nevada.","description":"A multi-stemmed small tree or large shrub that covers its bare branches with magenta-pink pea flowers in late winter and early spring, followed by round, heart-shaped leaves and reddish-purple pods that hang on through winter. Leaves turn gold to red in cooler sites. It is a top choice for small, low-water California yards and parking strips, feeding native bees, leafcutter bees and hummingbirds, and it fixes nitrogen.","care":"Plant in full sun to part shade with good drainage; water every week or two the first summer and sparingly afterward. It needs a cool winter to flower well. Prune after bloom and it tolerates occasional hard renewal pruning. Caterpillars, scale and crown or root rot from wet soil are the usual problems.","benefits":["flowers","pollinators","birds","drought_tolerant","small_space","nitrogen_fixing","fall_color","erosion_control"],"uses":["small_yard","street_tree","screening","parks"],"cautions":["none"],"image_url":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Cercis_occidentalis_branch.jpg","image_credit":"Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons","sources":["https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/CEOR9","https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis_occidentalis","https://calscape.org/plant/Cercis-occidentalis","https://landscapeplants.oregonstate.edu/plants/cercis-occidentalis","https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_ceoc.pdf"],"data_note":null,"updated_at":"2026-11-08T01:00:46.205Z","page_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/cercis-occidentalis","markdown_url":"https://treerm.org/trees/cercis-occidentalis.md","regions":[{"country":"US","region":"CA","locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Native to California foothills; USDA PLANTS treats the species as Cercis orbiculata (California redbud).","source_url":"https://plants.usda.gov/plant-profile/CEOR9"},{"country":"US","region":"OR","locality":null,"status":"native","note":"Native to southwestern Oregon.","source_url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis_occidentalis"},{"country":"US","region":"CA","locality":"Sacramento","status":"recommended","note":"On the Sacramento Tree Foundation Shady 80 recommended trees list","source_url":"https://sactree.org/best-trees-for-sacramento/"},{"country":"US","region":"CA","locality":"San Jose","status":"recommended","note":"On the Our City Forest Community Nursery tree species list","source_url":"https://www.ourcityforest.org/nursery-species"}],"license":"CC-BY-4.0"}