This seed strain was found to grow both large forest type trees to smaller compact trees with heavy flowering. We have kept some of the best seedlings found at our farm and have grown them from the variety alba. It turns out they were not alba in flowering the seedlings from this group are quite unique.
Easy to grow from seed: scar seed with sandpaper to remove the sheen and then put in a moist media in a zip lock bag for 90-120 days in the refrigerator. After cold put at room temperature. Seeds will sprout like beans and you can plant them by covering them with 1/4 inch of soil. Planting outside in the fall can be done as the natural bacterial action will help scar the seed and the seeds will germinate in the spring. But some seeds will take another year to break dormancy fully. Some seeds will sprout right away without scaring by sandpaper but it speeds up the imbibing of the water which then makes it possible for the cold dormancy to have an effect.
| Plant Specs |
| Genus & Species |
Cercis canadensis Alba |
| Seed Source |
Alba tree found in Michigan originally. Now seedlings from it at our farm. |
| Hardiness |
-25F |
| Height (ft) |
20-50ft. |
| Ease of Cultivation |
Easy to grow from seed. Seeds sprout once dormancy has been met and the seed coat has worn and imbibed water from the soil. Plants will flower in a short period of time from seed. Some plants will flower once 3-4 ft. tall. The alba seed source is a good one for creating heavy flowering selections. Shade tolerant and will flower in the understorey of plants. |
