Cercis canadensis

Canada Redbud

• Tree
• Partial shade preferred
• Rich to average soil
• 15’ to 20’ tall and wide 
• Ontario Native

With a historical range that extends into the south-western corner of this province, this small tree is a member of the Carolinian forest ecosystem. They are an understory or edge of woodland species, thriving in areas where soil has been enriched with decomposing leaves and where they receive some shelter from the strongest winds and the brightest sun from taller neighbours. 

Visually striking, their small, brightly coloured, abundant blooms are held close to their branches, almost entirely coating them in mid May, when they appear before the unfurling of their large, heart shaped leaves.

Important for pollinators as an early food source, they are also known to be a popular source of nesting materials for leafcutter bees, who cut neat semi-circles out of the margins in nest building season.

While they can mature to 30’ / 10m in height and spread, I haven’t seen one that large in the Ottawa area, where colder winters seem to keep them a bit more compact, at around half to two thirds that size. 

Not a species that I would plant in the middle of an exposed yard but definitely one that can grow as part of a mixed species community that can offer them some protection from strong winds and hot sun.