Green heart shaped leaves begin to take over redbud branches as blossoms fall.
NPS/ Todd Miller
Growing as a small tree or shrub the California redbud (Cercis occidnetalis) bursts with showy purplish-pink flowers in the early spring. The sweetpea shaped flowers grow in clusters along the branches making this one of the monuments showiest blooming trees. Once the blooms fall, light colored green leaves will begin to thicken and darken as the season goes on. These leaves will facilitate the trees annual growth. When temperatures cool and the sun is lower in the sky, the tree will begin to change color from yellow to red to brown.
Growing in canyons, pockets between rock crevices, and on the benches of slopes, the California redbud may be difficult to find. The plant is drought tolerant and grows in a wide variety of soils but is usually found in harsh environments with poor soils.
Last updated: January 15, 2020
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Contact Info
Mailing Address:
Public Lands Visitor Center
345 East Riverside Drive
Saint George,
UT
84790
Phone:
(435) 688-3200
This federal interagency office is staffed by employees from the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S National Forest Service, and by dedicated volunteers from the local community. Phones are answered Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The visitor center is closed on Saturdays, Sundays, and all federal holidays.
