Cercis

  • Authority

    Isley, Duane. 1975. Leguminosae of the United States: II. Subfamily Caesalpinioideae. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 25 (2): 1-228.

  • Family

    Caesalpiniaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Cercis

  • Description

    Genus Description - Shrubs or small trees. Leaves simple, palmately veined, cordate, ovate-acuminate to orbicular or subreniform, with a deep or shallow sinus at base, apically acuminate, short-obtuse, rounded to slightly emarginate; blade thin to xeric-coriaceous. Stipules deciduous. Flowers fascicled or infrequently racemed, appearing before leaves from spurs on old wood or cauliflorous. Calyx broader than high, shallowly lobed, irregular, the ventral lobe laterally developed. Corolla irregular, rose to pink-purple (rarely white); petals clawed, blades ovate to elliptic-ovate, the keels larger than standard. Stamens 10, free, declined and included within ventral petals. Pistil subsessile. Legume slowly dehiscent, sessile, oblong-elliptic, flat, dorsal suture essentially straight, ventral somewhat convex and narrowly winged; valves thick-papery, usually cross-striate or reticulate at maturity.

  • Discussion

    CBN x = 7 One presumes that Cercis represents a small temperate offshoot of the Bauhinia complex that maintained a primitive base x = 7 chromosome number while Bauhinia is functionally x =14. See Hopkins (1942) for a detailed expose of the taxa and a historical account of supposed relationships between the species and their varieties. Our major species, C. canadensis, the redbud of the eastern states is a familiar flowering tree wild and in cultivation.

  • Distribution

    Eurasia and North America, 6 species. Ours are 2 native and cultivated, and 3 Old World kinds slightly introduced in cult.

    Europe| Asia| North America|