Judas tree

noun

a purple-flowered Eurasian tree, Cercis siliquastrum, of the legume family, supposed to be the kind upon which Judas hanged himself.
any of various other trees of the same genus, as the redbud.

Judas tree

See redbud
small Eurasian leguminous tree, Cercis siliquastrum, with pinkish-purple flowers that bloom before the leaves appear: popularly thought to be the tree on which Judas hanged himself See also redbud

First recorded in 1660–70

Near Taylor the Judas-tree was in purple bloom, and further away the Japanese cherries lifted pink sprays against a soft grey sky.

The first thing to admire is the garden once more, with its verdant cedars of Lebanon and a Judas-tree bent beneath its blood.

In a burst of sunshine the cherry-trees are white, the Judas-tree is pink, the hawthorns give a sweet smell.

There is also the yellow of the mimosa, and the inimitable red of the occasional judas-tree.

Are they sitting at the window, looking out at the judas tree and the Paulownia?

April 23, 2024inveterate

[in-vet-er-it ]

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