Flower Fun in Israel: Blooming in April : Redbud or Love Tree – Clil Hachoresh

April 2020 ניסן תש"פ

Pesach is over, the weather is beginning to change and warm up and we have been blessed with one of the most beautiful springs in years. We have had so much rain, the Kinneret is full, the flowers have been blossoming and the surrounding countryside is green and lush.

One of my favourite yearly spring sights is a corner of Neot Kedumim where the red bud (clil hachoresh or love tree) tree starts to blossom above a carpet of cyclamen flowers (see December blog). The bright fresh pink of the newly blossoming red bud tree blending with the pale pink expanse of the cyclamens never fails to take my breath away. This year because of lockdown I didn’t get to see that image and despite trawling through old photos I couldn’t find one. I will have to wait another year to see it but that time will come and we will have moved on from this crazy period in our lives.

Cyclamens in January

Clil Hachoresh in April

Here is the clil hashoresh in April at Neot Kedumim next to a photo of the cyclamens in the same location in January. Now imagine the pictures merged as one image!

I love street lamps in trees!

The red bud tree is the first plant in my blog that you will find growing around your city. It is a wild indigenous tree that has been cultivated and is found in abundance around urban areas. I believe that is because it has a beautiful flower but mostly because it provides excellent shade in the summer due to the density of the leaves. Even in my 100 meter radius I could still enjoy the beautiful blossoms growing in a garden down my street.
The red bud is actually more commonly known as the Judas tree. It is believed to be the tree that Judas Escariot hanged himself from after he betrayed Jesus. It is said that the flowers turned from white to red with blood or shame. Just yesterday I went for a longer walk as the rules were relaxed and I actually came across my first ever white flowering Judas tree! It is possible the name Judas tree was a corruption of the French name 'arbre de Judea', the tree of Judea referring to the Judean Hills where it was found. The tree is also called the ‘love tree’ and further down the blog you will realize why!

It is called the red bud (strange as the flowers are always pink) because of the vibrant pink flowers that adorn its branches and trunk. They particularly stand out as, like the almond tree, the flowers blossom before any leaves appear meaning that they are particularly stark against the bare brown of the branches and they even grow directly out of the trunk.

The flower has a characteristic design – a small pink tongue points down and then three petals form a crown above it. The redbud in bloom is so stunning that at this stage I just urge you to go out and find it and enjoy it. Nothing I write can capture its beauty.

During the blossoming period the petals will fall to the floor creating a pink carpet around the tree. The leaves will start to grow and they are also worthy of attention. They are shaped like a perfect heart and are rich, dark green. Hence the name ‘love tree’. Your challenge is to find the 'love tree' by it's unique shaped leaves even when the flowers have finished. I learned in my research that the tree also flowers again in October and November but it goes unnoticed as at that stage the leaves cover the blossom. This year I'm determined to spot it. The fruit of the tree start of as green pods turning brown as they ripen.

The redbud flower is simply delicious; it is slightly crispy with a strong sweet flavour which then has a slightly oniony after taste. I have been spotted in the neighbourhood eating flowers off this tree and some people might find this eccentric. I believe that the nutritional benefits outweigh being considered weird! It is full of vitamin C and antioxidants which is often the case when something has a strong pink or red color. Just note only eat from cultivated trees in gardens as trees in the wild are protected. They are a great addition to shakes, salads and the colour looks great in a fruit salad.

Below is a recipe for a simple and delicious citrus fruit salad which was served by my friend Monica at Book Club and was gobbled up in 5 minutes. I added in the redbud flowers. Looks and tastes beautiful. Betayavon.

Chop up all different kinds of citrus fruit.

Mix with mint sugar: 1/4 cup of sugar to 2 tablespoons of chopped mint

Scatter with redbud flower blossoms

Photos courtesy of Yasmin Maissel

Editing courtesy of Elizabeth Kay From HaChamama Shel Elizabeth

Title courtesy of Elise Rynhold