Flowering shrub

Western redbud

Cercis occidentalis

Western redbud (Cercis occidentalis) is a shrub in the Fabaceae family, native in the lower 48 states, blooming mostly March–April across the U.S.

🌷 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 March–April.

2states where USDA records it

14Bloomipedia state lists include it

4,216U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 23, 2026. Our state lists also include states where people grow it in gardens, so they can outnumber USDA's wild-plant records. 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 March–April. ^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

When does it bloom?

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

Bloom time in the 14 states whose Bloomipedia list includes it

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
California	🌷 Garden	March–April	4,211
Texas	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	2
Arizona	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	1
Nevada	🌷 Garden	few records (1)	1
Oregon	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	1
Colorado	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Idaho	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Maryland	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Missouri	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
New Mexico	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
New York	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Utah	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Virginia	🌷 Garden	no flowering records	0
Washington	🌷 Garden	no flowering 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

State rare plant lists

Not listed Not on the official rare plant list in 10 of our 14 states.

See each state

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}
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}
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

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.

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.

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.

Growing conditions

USDA PLANTS gives Western redbud a low shade tolerance, high drought tolerance and low moisture use. It is rated for soil pH 6.0 to 8.0 and winter lows down to -8 °F.

Shade tolerance: Low
Drought tolerance: High
Moisture use: Low
Soil textures it is adapted to: medium, fine
Soil pH range: 6.0 to 8.0
Minimum temperature tolerated: -8 °F
Frost-free days needed (minimum): 180
Annual precipitation range: 16 to 80 inches
Minimum root depth: 20 inches
Salinity tolerance: Low
Fertility requirement: Low
Growth rate: Rapid
Lifespan: Short
Active growth period: Spring
Fruit or seed: Brown · Summer to Fall
Can be propagated by: bare root, container, cuttings, seed
Commercial availability: Routinely Available

From the USDA PLANTS characteristics data for CECAT. USDA ratings are general guidance for the species, not a guarantee for your garden.

Names, range and relatives

County records: USDA PLANTS lists it in 50 counties across 1 states; the most are in Texas (50).

Other Cercis on Bloomipedia (1): Eastern redbud.

More from the Fabaceae family (114 on Bloomipedia; most observed first): Lupines, White clover, Red clover, Purple crownvetch, Bird's-foot trefoil, Partridge pea, White sweetclover, Common vetch.

More California flowers

Deerweed

Acmispon glaber

Native

🌼 Blooms in CA: March–June

Pacific pea

Lathyrus vestitus

Native

🌼 Blooms in CA: February–May

Rose clover

Trifolium hirtum

Introduced

🌼 Blooms in CA: March–May

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).
State rare and invasive plant lists (24):
Show all 24 state lists
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.