ORANGE COUNTY ZOO
Photo courtesy of
Irvine Park Railroad
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The Orange County Zoo is
owned and operated by the
County
of Orange, California.
Web page produced by the
Orange County Zoological Society,
Copyright 2005.
California Redbud
Cercis occidentalis
The California Redbud is also known as Western Redbud or Judas
Tree. This 16 foot tree can be found in the canyons and the slopes of foothills
and mountains of California, Utah and Arizona between 400 and 5,000 feet. Red-purple flowers appear first,
followed by young bronze colored leaves, which turn to a glossy green. In fall,
clusters of reddish brown fruit-pods give color to the shrub until spring. Deer
browse on the foliage.
Native American Usage
The wood was made into bows, fence posts, tool handles, and used in basketry.
The pods were roasted and the seed eaten. The bark was used for diarrhea and
dysentery. Leaves were used as an incense.