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Eastern Redbud

Cercis canadensis

Summary 4

Cercis canadensis (eastern redbud) is a large deciduous shrub or small tree, native to eastern North America from Southern Ontario, Canada south to northern Florida but can thrive as far west as California.

Associated forest cover 5

Redbud is a regular but usually not a common understory component  of many forest types throughout the Eastern United States. It is  not a commercial timber species, and although it grows in many  forest cover types, it is not listed in all of them by the  Society of American Foresters (4).

Associations 6

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / feeds on
pycnidium of Diplodia coelomycetous anamorph of Diplodia siliquastri feeds on Cercis canadensis

Climate 7

A wide range of climatic conditions are present in the large  geographical range of redbud. Mean annual precipitation is less  than 510 mm (20 in) in dry south Texas and approximately 1270 mm  (50 in) in moist central Florida. Mean annual snowfall in the  northern perimeter of redbud is about 90 cm (35 in). Mean January  temperatures vary from -8° C (18° F) to 16° C (61°  F) within the native range of redbud. Mean July temperatures vary  from about 21° C (70° F) in southern Pennsylvania to 26°  C (79° F) in central Florida. Frost-free days can vary from  160 to 300 days.

Damaging agents 8

Redbud is a host to a variety of insects,  but damage is not normally severe. Bark and phloem borers include  three species of Hypothenemus, and Pityophthorus  lautus (2). A seed beetle, Gibbobruchus mimus, breeds  in the seed of redbud.

    Numerous wood borers have been found in redbud. Agrilus  otiosus, three species of Hypothenemus, three species  of Micracis, two species of Microcisella,  Pityophthorus lautus, Ptosima gibbicollis, and Thysanoes  fimbricornis all inhabit portions of the wood of redbud.

    Other insects feed on the leaves of redbud. The redbud leaffolder,  Fascista cercerisella, feeds on leaves which the larvae  web together. The grape leaffolder, Desmia funeralis, an  important pest of grape, also feeds on redbud. The Japanese  weevil, Callirhopalus bifasciatus, and Norape ovina  both consume redbud leaves.

    Other insects feed on redbud by extracting juices from the plant.  The twolined spittlebug, Prosapia bicincta, has been  recorded feeding on redbud. The terrapin scale, Mesolecanium  nigrofasciatum, and San Jose scale, Quadraspidiotus  perniciosus, like most of the other redbud parasites, inhabit  a variety of hosts including redbud. The periodical cicada, Magicicada  septendecim, lays its eggs in more than 70 species of trees  and other plants, including redbud.

    There are three main diseases of redbud: leaf anthracnose, Mycosphaerella  cercidicola, Botryosphaeria canker, and Verticillium wilt  (6). The most serious is the canker Botryosphaeria ribis or  its variety chromogena. The species is mainly a saprobe;  the variety is a parasite. This variety produces stem and twig  lesions and entire groves of redbuds have been killed by this  disease. Verticillium wilt (Verticillium albo-atrum) sometimes  kills redbuds, especially in the Midwestern United States. Redbud  is vulnerable to Texas root rot (Phymatotrichum omnivorum),  but redbud is not commonly grown in its range. A variety of  sap and heart rots also infect eastern redbud.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Shihmei Barger 舒詩玫, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), http://www.flickr.com/photos/70668033@N00/4544709086
  2. (c) J.R.M., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/74215305@N00/2405531835
  3. (c) Steven Severinghaus, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/horsepunchkid/8145209238/
  4. Adapted by Jonathan (JC) Carpenter from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis_canadensis
  5. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/22778368
  6. (c) BioImages, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://eol.org/data_objects/22914442
  7. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/22778366
  8. (c) Unknown, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), http://eol.org/data_objects/22778376

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