This is the red bud tree in full bloom, it is the state tree for Oklahoma, and comes in pink and some white too. It explodes into bloom, with flowers covering the whole tree, before any leaves are apparent. These trees are very nice in the spring, and really tell us that spring is here, in a dramatic fashion!
The flowers are editable and liven up a salad with unexpected color. While high in vitamin C, the flowers are also a favorite when pickled or fermented, A tea made from the inner bark is highly astringent. Used in the treatment of fevers, diarrhea and dysentery, it is also used herbally to treat for leukemia. A cold infusion of the roots and inner bark have been used traditionally, to treat various chest complaints including whooping cough and chest congestion. I will not have to transplant this tree to the homestead for my herbal plantings, as there are a number of them on the new land already.
The plant is reported to contain a toxic called saponin. Although toxic, (Saponins are found in many foods, such as some beans) saponins are poorly absorbed by the body and most pass straight through without any problem. They are also broken down to a large extent in the cooking process. These compounds are much more toxic to some creatures, such as fish, and hunting tribes have traditionally put large quantities of them in the waters, in order to stupefy or kill the fish.
