Cercis canadensis var.texensis Oklahoma - Texas Redbud

Cercis canadensis var. texensis 'Oklahoma' is a variety of Texas Redbud selected for its particularly vibrant pink flowering and its more branched habit. This deciduous small tree is interesting for its early flowering, very shiny foliage, autumn colours and decorative purplish fruiting, which persists on the branches until winter. In the garden, it proves to be more drought-tolerant than its close relative, the classic Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis), and well adapted to limestone soils.

Cercis canadensis var texensis (synonym Cercis occidentalis) 'Oklahoma' belongs to the Fabaceae or Papilionaceae family. This subspecies of Eastern Redbud is native to a more western area of the United States, ranging from the mountains of southern Oklahoma to the limestone plains of central Texas, as well as from southern to northeastern Mexico. It is more stocky but also more drought-resistant than its better-known eastern cousin, the typical Eastern Redbud. Its hardiness is excellent, beyond -20 °C.

The cultivar 'Oklahoma' was discovered in 1964, growing wild in Oklahoma. It is a slow-growing tree, often wider than tall, with a short trunk topped by a low, widely branched canopy. Its average dimensions reach 4.60 metres in height and 5.30 metres in width. Of course, these parameters strongly depend on the growing conditions. The flowers appear before the leaves, in March or April, directly on the branches, even on the trunk and even those that are only one year old. They are shaped like pea flowers and are a bright magenta-pink. They are loved by pollinators, especially bumblebees. The fruits, shaped like flattened, reddish-brown pods, are present on this variety. The foliage emerges as red-purple and translucent, then intensively turns into shiny dark green, tinted with yellow and orange in autumn depending on the year and soil conditions. The leaves are thick, kidney or heart-shaped, about 6-7 cm long, and hairy underneath. The older branches and trunk have a cracked, grey-black bark. Mature specimens often have a twisted trunk and an umbrella-like canopy, giving them a Japanese silhouette.

This 'Oklahoma' Redbud is attractive 8 months out of 12. It can be used as a solitary specimen, but also in a large group composed of other small trees chosen for their flowering or decorative fruiting: ornamental crabapple trees, winged euonymus (Euonymus alatus), Lamarck's serviceberry, and European cornel, for example. It only requires fairly deep, not too clayey soil, even very limestone and rather dry in summer. This Redbud can be planted in all regions. It does not require any particular pruning: in short, it is a very accommodating plant that can thrive in any garden! It can also be striking standing out against a wall or evergreen foliage, accompanied by a 'Black Lace' Elder for colour and shape contrast. Or, with a 'Grace' Smokebush, which has summer flowering in airy plumes and sumptuous autumn foliage.