Cercis canadensis, the eastern redbud, is a large deciduous shrub or small tree, native to eastern North America from southern Ontario, south to northern Florida but which can thrive as far west as California. It is the state tree of Oklahoma. The eastern redbud typically grows to 6â9Â m (20â30Â ft) tall with an 8â10Â m (26â33Â ft) spread. It generally has a short, often twisted trunk and spreading branches. The flowers are showy, light to dark magenta pink in color, appearing in clusters from Spring to early Summer, on bare stems before the leaves, sometimes on the trunk itself. The leaves are eaten by the caterpillars of some Lepidopteraâfor example, Henry's elfin, the redbud leaffolder, the red-humped caterpillar the fall webworm , the white flannel moth, the American dagger moth, the grape leaffolder, and the Io moth.The Cercis genus are angiosperms, characterized by their ability to form a symbiosis with the nitrogen fixing actinomycetota Frankia. This association leads to the formation of nitrogen-fixing root nodules.
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