Class of 1996
About the Forest Pansy Redbud
The tree contributed by the Class of 1996 can be found in the Garden of Reflection and Remembrance. It is a Forest Pansy Redbud, with the scientific name of Ceris canadensis ‘Forest Pansy’. The redbud is native to North America and Canada, in regions of Connecticut to New York, to the Great Lakes region and southern Ontario, and to Western Texas and Florida. Before the foliage emerges, the tree flowers in early spring, producing an abundance of small, red-purple flowers that make the tree particularly stunning. The flowers eventually lead to bean-like dry seed pods that mature and turn brown in the summer. The foliage of the ‘Forest Pansy’ cultivar are heart-shaped, purple leaves that turn variable colors in the fall, including reddish-purple and orange.1 The flowers of this tree are attractive to nectar-seeking insects and the seeds and nesting sites attract a variety of birds.2
