Cercis chinensis Seeds | Chinese Redbud
LATIN NAME: Cercis chinensis
COMMON NAME: Chinese Redbud
Plant Profile
Chinese Redbud (Cercis chinensis) grows as a deciduous tree in the pea family. It likes sun or part shade, and moist, well-drained soil. For the gardener, the sum of these traits is a plant that is easy to live with.
Science & Biotechnology
Seed science, comparative botany and horticultural selection all touch on Cercis chinensis, a representative of the pea family with clear practical value. Work looks at nitrogen-fixing roots, flattened seed pods, and seed handling. Centuries of cultivation have left a detailed record of how it grows and behaves.
Uses & Benefits
In the garden, Chinese Redbud earns its place in borders, containers and mixed plantings, and it also rewards growers who raise plants for cutting, drying or kitchen use. In small garden, the Chinese redbud crimsons bare branches with spring bloom. Pea flowers open for bees in early spring, heart-shaped leaves follow, roots enrich soil, and tree makes fine specimen for border and the courtyard. It grows well in moist, well-drained, sunny or lightly shaded ground. Thereafter it wants only the ordinary attentions any garden plant receives.
Redbud flowers and young pods are edible with a pleasant sour bite, rich in vitamin C, and Native American traditions used bark teas for colds.
Growing from Seed
Seed is the natural starting point for Chinese Redbud, and the process is uncomplicated. A simple routine works well: sow evenly over the surface and cover lightly in a loose, well-drained seed compost, maintain even moisture, and provide partial shade. Shift the seedlings into small pots as soon as they can be handled, and give them bright light until planting-out time.
Our Take
It forms a deciduous tree, which makes spacing and siting straightforward. It tolerates the sort of small mistakes every beginner makes.
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