Eastern Redbud

Throughout the bark, you will see these little buds. They represent the flowers that will bloom in the springtime. Once the flowers bloom and look like this, the eastern redbud can be a great source of food for insects, especially bees at the beginning of spring, since they are one of the first flowers to bloom. Bees aren’t the only species that interact with this tree though, and other insects can be dangerous to its health. Species like leafhoppers and treehoppers will eat the leaves, fruit, sap, bark, and tissue. They can even spread diseases and viruses that can kill the tree. While there are some of these harmful species interacting with the outside of the tree, there is one internal interaction that is extremely helpful to the eastern redbud, and that is with the rhizobium bacteria. This nitrogen-fixing bacterium forms a symbiotic relationship with the tree’s roots and provides an increase in nitrogen for the tree, which in turn shares sugars with the bacteria. Such a symbiosis can greatly improve the tree’s growth since nitrogen is often a limiting growth factor for plants, which means they might be able to reproduce more with this interaction.

In terms of reproduction, the eastern redbuds are classified as bisexual or monoecious, meaning that they produce both male and female sex cells for reproduction. They can self-pollinate, or they can be pollinated by bees. This means that they have many options for reproduction – pollination within the same flower, from one flower to another on the same tree, or between the flowers of different trees. When it comes to their leaves, they are thin, around 4 inches long, and heart-shaped. They change color as the seasons go on, but they will start as green in early spring, turning darker as it gets closer to the summer. As it gets closer to fall, they turn into a yellowish-green color before they fall off. With a lifespan of around 75 years, these trees will be growing and losing a lot of leaves in their lifetime

As you can see, the eastern redbud is a fascinating and valuable tree – not only as a source of nutrition for early pollinators but also to assist with human health. Thank you for joining me here to learn about this tree, and I encourage you to go search around for other trees around Rowan. Other fruit trees include the purple leaf plum, the white mulberry, and the black cherry, just to name a few. Additionally, you can find other trees within the Fabaceae family, like the black locust and the honey locust. Take the time to appreciate the beauty and the biology of our trees – you never know what you may learn!

These resources are a product of Dr. Sara Wright’s Plant Diversity course in the Biological Sciences and Biomedical Department. My name is Reilly Dillon, and I will earn my Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Sciences along with my Undergraduate Certificate in Counterterrorism in the fall of 2022. I plan to go for my Master’s degree in Marine Biology and pursue a career in research. You can read more about me and the Eastern Redbud below. Thank you for listening.