Eastern redbud
Cercis canadensis
🌿 Botanical Info
Overview
Redbuds grow in sun or part shade and grow to 30’. The leaves are heart-shaped leaves with pointed tips. Pink flowers that look like pea blossoms, appear in March-May and the flowers are edible. Often the flowers will blossom directly on the trunk, a phenomenon known as cauliflory. The fruit is a green pod in June-November. The leaves turn yellow in fall.
More info
Hummingbirds, goldfinches, butterflies, and bees are attracted to the redbud flowers. Native Americans used the young, bendable stems to make baskets. The name Cercis is from the Greek kerkis, meaning “weaver's shuttle”, which was the same shape as the redbud's flattened seed pods. George Washington loved Redbuds.
🍲 Culinary Uses
Taste and Flavor
The flowers taste sweet or slightly acidic, and have a pea-like flavor. They can be eaten raw, added to pancakes and salads, pickled, or fried. The unopened flowers can be used as a substitute for capers.
Nutritional Value
Redbud blossom tea is high in vitamin C and antioxidants and helps with inflammation and boosts the immune system.
Availability
Flowers and buds are harvested in early spring, and pods at the beginning of summer.
Allergies
Redbuds contain the toxin saponin, which was used years ago by fishermen who put it in streams to stupefy the fish, making them easier to catch.