Herb: Judas Tree


Latin name: Cercis siliquastrum


Family: Leguminosae



Edible parts of Judas Tree:

Flowers - raw. A sweetish-acid taste, they are a nice addition to the salad bowl. The flower buds are pickled and used as a condiment. Seedpods - raw.

Description of the plant:



Plant:
Deciduous
Tree

Height:
12 m
(39 feet)

Flowering:
May

Habitat of the herb:

Stony slopes and in arid warm woods.

Other uses of Judas Tree:

Wood - very hard, beautifully grained, takes a very fine polish. Used for veneers.

Propagation of the herb:

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame. Pre-soak stored seed for 24 hours in warm water then cold stratify for 3 months. Sow spring in the greenhouse. As soon as they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Plants resent root disturbance and are best planted out in their permanent positions as soon as possible. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame.

Cultivation of Judas Tree:

Stony slopes and in arid warm woods.

Medicinal use of the herb:

None known

Known hazards of Cercis siliquastrum:

None known

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future.