Flowering shrub

Western redbud

Cercis occidentalis

🌷 Flowering shrubNative in the lower 48

Western redbud is a popular flowering shrub. It's on our flower lists for 14 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in February–May.

2states

14of our state lists

4,216U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 23, 2026. Planted garden shrubs are mostly excluded from research grade.

On our lists for: Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Maryland, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington

Quick look

Cercis occidentalis, the western redbud or California redbud, is a small tree or shrub in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is found primarily in Oregon and Northern California, with other redbuds of Utah and Arizona typically being the related species Cercis orbiculata.
From Wikipedia's article Cercis occidentalis, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Fabaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 2 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
In California, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in February–May. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as red. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as early spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 12 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 4,211 research-grade sightings of it in California, ranking #104 among the 178 flowers on our California list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 2 research-grade sightings of it in Texas, ranking #134 among the 169 flowers on our Texas list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1 research-grade sightings of it in Arizona, ranking #111 among the 132 flowers on our Arizona list. ^iNaturalist

Western redbud gift ideas

Handmade western redbud gifts from independent makers.

🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.

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Western redbud art print
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Western redbud greeting card
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Western redbud mug
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Western redbud earrings
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Western redbud embroidery pattern
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Western redbud sticker
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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (293 records)

Bloom time in each of our 14 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
California	🌷 Garden	February–May	4,211
Texas	🌷 Garden	few records	2
Arizona	🌷 Garden	few records	1
Nevada	🌷 Garden	few records	1
Oregon	🌷 Garden	few records	1
Colorado	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Idaho	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Maryland	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Missouri	🌷 Garden	few records	0
New Mexico	🌷 Garden	few records	0
New York	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Utah	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Virginia	🌷 Garden	few records	0
Washington	🌷 Garden	few records	0

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: GNR Not yet ranked worldwide. ^NatureServe
California: Not listed Not on California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in California. ^{CNDDB listed plants (July 2026)}
Texas: Not listed Not on Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife. NatureServe has no Texas rank for it. ^{31 TAC 69.8}
Arizona: Not listed Not on Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025). NatureServe has no Arizona rank for it. ^{AAC R3-3 App. A}
Nevada: Not listed Not on Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010). NatureServe has no Nevada rank for it. ^{NAC 527.010}
Oregon: Not listed Not on Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Oregon. ^{OAR 603-073-0070}
Colorado: No list Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead. NatureServe has no Colorado rank for it.
Idaho: No list Idaho has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Idaho ranks instead. NatureServe has no Idaho rank for it.
Maryland: Not listed Not on Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08). NatureServe has no Maryland rank for it. ^{COMAR 08.03.08}
Missouri: Not listed Not on Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants. NatureServe has no Missouri rank for it. ^{3 CSR 10-4.111}
New Mexico: Not listed Not on New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC). NatureServe has no New Mexico rank for it. ^{19.21.2.9 NMAC}
New York: Not listed Not on New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3). NatureServe has no New York rank for it. ^{6 NYCRR § 193.3}
Utah: No list Utah has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Utah ranks instead. NatureServe has no Utah rank for it.
Virginia: Not listed Not on Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10). NatureServe has no Virginia rank for it. ^2VAC5-320-10
Washington: No list Washington has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (the Washington Natural Heritage Program's rare plant list isn't regulatory), so we show NatureServe's Washington ranks instead. NatureServe has no Washington rank for it.
Rare elsewhere: No other U.S. state ranks it S1, S2, SH or SX.

Checked October 23, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peopleEdible (per NC State Extension)

NC State Extension notes: “The flowers are fried in Mexico. The flowers are acid and are sometimes pickled for salads. The nectar is of some value as a source of honey.” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsNot well documented

It isn't on the ASPCA plant list, and NC State Extension doesn't flag it for pets.

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records Western redbud in 2 states.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Oklahoma, Texas.

Texas counties with USDA records: Bandera, Bell, Bexar, Blanco, Bosque, Brown, Coke, Coleman, Comal, Concho, Cooke, Coryell, Dallas, Dawson, Eastland, Edwards, Foard, Gillespie, Grayson, Hale, Hays, Kendall, Kerr, Kimble, Kinney, Lampasas, Llano, McCulloch, McLennan, Medina, Menard, Mills, Mitchell, Nolan, Parker, Real, San Saba, Schleicher, Somervell, Stephens, Sutton, Tarrant, Taylor, Tom Green, Travis, Uvalde, Val Verde, Wichita, Williamson, Wise.

More California flowers

Lupines

Lupinus

★ TX state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms: February–June

White clover

Trifolium repens

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in CA: February–June

Red clover

Trifolium pratense

★ VT state flowerIntroduced

🌼 Blooms: May–October

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile CECAT.
iNaturalist, Cercis occidentalis: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 23, 2026.
Wikipedia, Cercis occidentalis (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
California: California state-listed endangered, threatened and rare plants (14 CCR § 670.2), per CDFW's CNDDB list (July 2026).
California: California noxious weed species (3 CCR § 4500).
Texas: Texas endangered and threatened plants (31 Tex. Admin. Code § 69.8), as listed by Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Texas: Texas noxious and invasive plant list (4 Tex. Admin. Code § 19.300(a)).
Arizona: Arizona Native Plant Law protected plants (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-3 Art. 11, App. A, eff. Feb. 2, 2025).
Arizona: Arizona prohibited noxious weeds (Ariz. Admin. Code R3-4-245).
Nevada: Nevada fully protected plants, critically endangered (NAC 527.010).
Nevada: Nevada noxious weeds (NAC 555.010).
Oregon: Oregon endangered and threatened plants (OAR 603-073-0070).
Oregon: Oregon noxious weed quarantine, A and B weeds (OAR 603-052-1200).
Colorado: Colorado noxious weed lists A, B and C (8 CCR 1206-2, eff. May 15, 2025).
Idaho: Idaho noxious weeds (IDAPA 02.06.09, Section 220).
Maryland: Maryland threatened and endangered plants (COMAR 08.03.08.05, .06 and .08).
Maryland: Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List (COMAR 15.06.04.06; MDA, updated July 2026).
Missouri: Missouri Wildlife Code endangered species (3 CSR 10-4.111), plants.
Missouri: Missouri noxious weed list (2 CSR 70-45.005).
New Mexico: New Mexico state endangered plant species (19.21.2.9 NMAC).
New Mexico: New Mexico Noxious Weed List (NM Department of Agriculture, updated June 2020).
New York: New York protected native plants (6 NYCRR § 193.3).
New York: New York prohibited and regulated invasive species (6 NYCRR Part 575).
Utah: Utah noxious weed list (Utah Admin. Code R68-9-3).
Virginia: Virginia endangered and threatened plant and insect species (2VAC5-320-10).
Virginia: Virginia noxious weeds (2VAC5-317-20, Tier 1, 2 and 3).
Washington: Washington State noxious weed list (WAC 16-750-005, -011, -015).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 23, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Cercis occidentalis (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension.
Photo: Whitney Brook Matson via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.