Size

• No redbud approaches the status of a large tree. The Eastern redbuds growing in the wild serving as ornamentals mature to between 20 and 30, according to the UConn Plant Database, with a width of up to 35 feet. The subspecies of redbud growing in Oklahoma and Texas is even smaller from 15 to 20 feet tall. The Chinese redbud, an Asian cousin, is 50 feet tall in a natural setting, but the cultivated form in North America grows only from 8 to 15 feet high. Eastern redbud cultivars are as small as Covey, a weeping variety in the 4- to 10-foot range.
  
  

Flowering

• The flowers of the Eastern redbud and its subspecies resemble those of pea plants with a purple-pink color and developing in groups of from four to eight. They bloom in April for about two or three weeks without any leaves to obscuring them from view. These flowers bloom in places such as the trunk and the older branches. Younger trees bloom at a heavy rate. Chinese redbud blooms a bit earlier, sometimes as early as March with the flowers being a deeper shade of purple. Royal White and Alba Eastern redbud cultivars featuring white flowers.
  
  

Foliage

• The foliage is key to identifying the tree once the flowers pass. The leaves grow alternate on the twigs and have a distinct heart shape. Eastern redbud's leaves are from 3 to 5 inches long, but those of the Texas subspecies are no more than 3 inches long. These leaves have a leathery texture, while Eastern redbud's are not as thick. Chinese redbud's foliage is shinier than the American types. In spring, the Eastern redbud leaves emerge with a reddish tinge but eventually turn dark green before taking on fall colors such as yellow. The Texas variety turns red, orange or purple in autumn, while the fall color of Chinese redbud is not nearly as conspicuous.
  
  

Other Characteristics

• The redbud tree seedpods help with identification. They hang down from the branches after developing from the flowers, sometimes staying on well into winter. Their sizes vary between species with those of the Eastern redbud as long as 3 inches, those of the Texas redbud being up to 4 inches long and the pods on a Chinese redbud bigger at 5 inches. The pods are green at first but change to brown as they mature. The trunks are usually short, with a scaly brown bark. Eastern redbud's bark peels away revealing an orange layer.