Western Red-Bud
(Cercis occidentalis)
The startling bright magenta clusters of the red-bud tree are lovely in the spring along the courses of underground streams of the inner Coast Range. Later, the long dusty rose seed pods contrast with the flat, kidney-shaped leaves. After the leaves turn yellow and fall, the twisted skeletal twigs and branches continue to provide interest. These, with the roots, were an important source of strong and decorative fiber for the magnificent baskets of the Pomo Indians.
Sources: Daniel E. Moerman,
Native American Ethnobotany, 1908; Glen Keator,
Native Shrubs of California, 1994
