Cercis canadensis var. canadensis from California-GS12022020-1

[Gurcharan Singh]

Cercis, commonly known as Redbud is an interesting genus of deciduous trees in which flowers appear on trunk and main branches before leaves giving beautiful display. The important species can be distinguished as under:

1. Flowers in elongated racemes on long peduncles...............2

-  Flowers in umbellate clusters, peduncle scarcely visible......3

2. Raceme short, rachis less than 2 cm long, leaves glabrous or 

    sparsely pubescent in axils of veins,   legume basally rounded and obtuse,          dorsal and ventral sutures unequal...................................C. glabra

-   Racemes longer with up to 10 cm long rachis,  leaves 

     abaxially puberulent, densely hairy on veins; legume basally attenuate,               dorsal and ventral sutures equal in length.........................C. racemosa

3. Leaves ovate-cordate to triangular, tip acute to acuminate, 

    Fruit less than 15 mm broad...........................................................4

-   Leaves rounded to reniform, apex often emarginate, fruit 

    broader than 15 mm........................................................................5    

4. Leaves with narrow translucent border, flowers 15-18 mm long...C. chinensis

-   Leaves without translucent border, flowers 6-12 mm long.........C. canadensis

    (leaves dull green above, apex abruptly acuminate....var. canadensis; 

    leaves glossy above, narrowly rounded or acutish at tip (glabrous

    beneath...var...texensis, pubescent beneath var mexicana)

5. Leaves coriaceous to subcoriaceous, leaves less than 10 cm 

    broad, flowers 10-15 mm long..................................................C. occidentalis

-  Leaves thin, not coriaceous, broader than 10 cm, flowers 

    15-20 mm long.........................................................................C. siliquastrum

Cercis canadensis var. canadensis from Fremont, California

 

.  

Dr. Gurcharan Singh

Retired  Associate Professor
SGTB Khalsa College, University of Delhi, Delhi-110007
Res: 932 Anand Kunj, Vikas Puri, New Delhi-110018.
Mob: 9810359089

https://sing96.wixsite.com/mysite-1

[Mahadeswara]

So many species ! Awesome photographs.