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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 variety texensis of Cercis canadensis, 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 grow, 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.
This information about Cercis canadensis var. texensis 'Texas White' displayed is based on research conducted in our horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also will relate observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments that we receive from others and we welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share any cultural information that would aid others in growing it.
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