# Western redbud (Cercis occidentalis)

> 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.

Source: https://treerm.org/trees/cercis-occidentalis · Updated 2026-11-08 · License CC BY 4.0

## Facts

- Also called: California redbud
- Family: Fabaceae
- Type: Broadleaf, drops leaves
- Mature height: 5 m; spread 4 m
- Growth: Medium growth; lives about 175 years
- USDA hardiness zones: 6 to 9
- Light: Sun or part shade
- Water: Low water
- 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.

**Benefits:** Flowers, Pollinators, Birds, Drought tolerant, Fits small spaces, Fixes nitrogen, Fall color, Holds soil

**Good for:** Small yard, Street tree, Screening, parks

**Watch out for:** No major cautions

## 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.

## Where it stands

- **Native:** CA, United States (Native to California foothills; USDA PLANTS treats the species as Cercis orbiculata (California redbud).); OR, United States (Native to southwestern Oregon.)
- **Recommended:** Sacramento, CA, United States (On the Sacramento Tree Foundation Shady 80 recommended trees list); San Jose, CA, United States (On the Our City Forest Community Nursery tree species list)

## 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