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Cercis canadensis var. texensis 'Texas White' (White Redbud) - A spreading often mulit-stemed tree with waxy, glossy, rich green leaves with rounded tips. It grows to 15 to 20 feet tall by about as wide. The milky white half inch long flowers are borne in clusters of 2-8 on bare stems in the spring before the foliage emerges and are followed by several inch long dangling reddish seed pods.
Plant in full sun or light shade and irrigate occasionally to infrequently. This variety is more tolerant to alkaline conditions than other eastern redbuds and is cold hardy below 0 degrees F and useful in gardens down to USDA Zone 7a. A beautiful garden variety that has performed well in Southern California and its flowers are a valued nectar source for honey in late winter, and seed are later eaten by numerous species of wild birds.
The species Cercis canadensis is a plant that is native to much of eastern North America from southern Ontario in Canada south to Florida and west to eastern Texas and Oklahoma. The name for the genus is from the Greek word 'kerkis' which is a weaver's shuttle in reference to the shape of the fruit. The variety texensis, once elevated to the specific rank and called Cercis reniformis, is native to the mountains of southern Oklahoma south through central Texas and eastern New Mexico south to northeastern Mexico. Other white varieties of eastern redbud are sold under the names Cercis canadensis 'Alba', C. canadensis 'Dwarf White' and C. canadensis forma alba 'Royal White', but 'Texas White' (also known as 'White Texas') is distinctly different as it is a selection of the more drought tolerant southernly C. canadensis variety texensis, with shiny leaves that are thicker with slightly ruffled margins.
Cercis canadensis var. texensis 'Texas White' was originally discovered as a chance seedling by Judson Germany of Germany's Nursery and Landscape Company in Fort Worth, Texas and introduced in the late 1960s. 'Texas White' is also one parent of another Redbud that we grew, Cercis 'Merlot' which gains some drought and heat tolerance from this parent. We previously offered this plant from 2001-2007 under its older name Cercis reniformis 'Texas White'. Our plants were all grafted by and purchased from L.E Cooke Company of Visalia, California.
The information displayed on this page about Cercis canadensis var. texensis 'Texas White' is based on our research conducted about this plant from books in our nursery library as well as from information that is provided by reliable online resources. We also have included our own observations made about it as it grew in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers when we had them in our nursery field. We also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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