Spring brings out a variety of colors and blossoms, and it can be challenging to tell some flowering trees apart. Perhaps you’re wondering about the bright pink blossoms on a redbud tree. How can you distinguish these showy blooms from fragrant cherry blossoms? Keep reading. In this article, we’ll compare the redbud tree flower vs. the cherry blossom to help you learn to identify each one.
What You'll Learn Today
What Is a Redbud Tree?
Redbuds belong to the genus Cercis. There are a variety of cultivars in the genus; one of the most common is the forest pansy redbud.
Redbuds are small trees, typically growing to just 5 to 30 feet at maturity. They are also relatively short-lived, as they usually begin declining after about 20 or 30 years.
Redbud trees bloom in early to mid spring, with flower colors ranging from light lavender to bright pink. Clusters of tiny flowers that vaguely resemble snapdragons cover the branches each spring before the leaves begin to emerge.
When the flowers die, they produce seed pods that look similar to snow peas. These pods turn brown and open in the fall as the lentil-like seeds mature.
Redbud trees have shiny, heart-shaped leaves that may be tinted red in early spring. These showy trees are often planted as ornamentals thanks to their compact size and pretty blossoms.
Check out this video to learn more about redbud trees:
What Is a Cherry Tree?
Cherry trees belong to the genus Prunus. There are dozens of cherry species found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, primarily in Asia but also in North America and Europe.
Cherry trees can range in size from just 6 to 12 feet to more than 150 feet tall depending on species and cultivar. Average lifespans also vary considerably based on a number of factors.
Cherry trees typically bloom before apples and after peaches in early to mid spring, and the blooms are typically light pink in color, sometimes with darker centers. The five-petaled flowers grow in clusters hanging from the tree branches.
Cherry blossoms produce cherries when they die, with fruits varying in size, color, and sweetness. Some cherries are large and sweet, while many varieties are smaller and have a more sour flavor; some varieties are a cross between sweet and sour.
Cherry trees often have dark green, oval, serrated leaves that emerge after the blossoms. Though they are usually grown for their fruit, some varieties of cherry trees are grown for their wood (unlike redbuds) or for ornamental value.
Check out this video to learn more about cherry blossoms:
Redbud Tree Flower vs. Cherry Blossom
On paper, it appears that redbud flowers and cherry blossoms are quite similar. Fortunately, they are not hard to tell apart once you learn some of their key characteristics.
Read on to find out more about the similarities and differences between redbud flowers and cherry blossoms.
Similarities
Redbud flowers and cherry blossoms both come in shades of pink. They are both vibrant, iconic flowers known for making an appearance in early to mid spring.
Both of these types of flowers grow on trees, and they both tend to grow in clusters. The trees are both commonly planted for ornamental purposes.
Both types of blossoms typically cover the tree branches in the spring. Many species of the trees are similar in size, so it is easy to confuse them, especially from a distance, when they are in full bloom.
Redbuds and cherry trees thrive in similar environments, and they often grow in many of the same regions.They are both commonly found growing in the wild as well as in urban areas.
Differences
Redbud trees and cherry trees are not closely related to each other. They belong to different genera.
Though the flowers may be similar in color, they look quite different from each other when you get an up-close view of them. Redbud flowers are smaller and have more irregular, elongated petals, while cherry blossoms are circular, flat, and contain identical petals.
What’s more, redbud flowers typically come in brighter colors, while cherry trees typically have more pastel-colored blossoms. Cherry blossoms usually produce a fragrant, appealing aroma, while redbud flowers do not.
Cherry trees and redbud trees produce vastly different-looking fruits. Cherry blossoms produce red, succulent cherries, while redbud trees produce green pods that stay on the trees until turning brown in the fall.
Finally, cherry and redbud trees have much-different-looking leaves. The leaves of cherry trees are generally ovular, while redbuds have distinctive heart-shaped leaves.
What Other Flowers Look Like Redbud Tree Flowers?
Redbud flowers are fairly unique. When you look at them up close, you may determine that they look like clusters of tiny snapdragons covering the tree branches in the spring.
The flowers are also strikingly similar to those of another species in the Ceris genus, the white bud trees. As the name suggests, white bud trees produce white flowers that look almost identical to redbuds with the exception of flower color.
Aside from these two types of flowers, redbud blossoms don’t have many lookalikes. This, combined with their unique bright colors, can make them relatively easy to identify.
What Other Flowers Look Like Cherry Blossoms?
A variety of flowering trees produce blooms that look similar to cherry blossoms. These include apricots, peaches, apples, crabapples, and nectarines.
Magnolia trees also produce flowers that are sometimes confused with cherry blossoms. However, they are much larger and contain fleshier petals.
Lastly, cherry blossoms are similar in size and overall design with some species in the rose family. They may look especially similar to some types of wild roses, which are typically small and delicate in appearance.
Conclusion
Redbud flowers and cherry blossoms have some similarities, and it can be easy to confuse them when you see the flowering trees from a distance in early spring. However, upon closer inspection, you will find that they have many differences, including the flower shapes and the types of fruit they produce.
