Cercis siliquastrum vs canadensis
Updated: October 2026
You wanted a Judas tree and the packet says Canadian Judas tree in English and Cercis canadensis in Latin. Those are not the same plant. This Cercis siliquastrum vs canadensis page separates the true Judas tree from the eastern redbud, compares size and shade, and maps the amazon.co.uk ASINs so you do not sow the wrong species. The [Judas tree comparison](/hub/trees-and-palms/judas-tree) holds the table. Products Compared used RHS and Hayloft pages checked 19 October 2026. Affiliate links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
You wanted a Judas tree and the packet says Canadian Judas tree in English and Cercis canadensis in Latin. Those are not the same plant.
You wanted a Judas tree and the packet says Canadian Judas tree in English and Cercis canadensis in Latin. Those are not the same plant. This Cercis siliquastrum vs canadensis page separates the true Judas tree from the eastern redbud, compares size and shade, and maps the amazon.co.uk ASINs so you do not sow the wrong species. The Judas tree comparison holds the table. Products Compared used RHS and Hayloft pages checked 19 October 2026. Affiliate links may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Our top picks
| Badge | Product | Species | Form | Reviews | Note | Price | Offer |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best overall |  Akplants Judas tree sapling (Cercis siliquastrum) | Cercis siliquastrum | Sapling, 12 in | 3.0 from 3 | 7.1 | about £12.50 | View offer |
| Best value |  Ipsa Ipsa Chinese redbud seeds (10) | Cercis chinensis | 10 seeds | No reviews | 5.7 | about £2.96 | View offer |
| Alternative |  Ipsa Ipsa eastern redbud seeds (15) | Cercis canadensis | 15 seeds | No reviews | 5.3 | about £4.42 | View offer |
On this page
Two plants, one shop name
Cercis siliquastrum is the Judas tree, or love tree, of Mediterranean fame: rosy-pink pea flowers on older wood, heart-shaped leaves, ultimate height 8–12 m on the RHS page, H5 hardiness, well-drained soil in full sun or partial shade. In Britain, Oxford Plants 400 notes that leaves often appear before flowers, which can confuse you the first spring if you expected the classic flowers-on-bare-wood calendar from continental photos.
Cercis canadensis is the eastern redbud, sold here as Canadian Judas tree. Hayloft describes it as slightly smaller than Cercis siliquastrum, finishing flowering before the leaves, and particularly liking dappled shade. The RHS canadensis page asks for deep, fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun or dappled shade. Both species carry H5 in the sources we used. The difference is not hardier versus tender. It is size, light, and the plant you actually wanted when you typed Judas tree.
Chinese redbud, Cercis chinensis, appears in this Amazon set as a third packet, with an RHS ultimate height of about 2.5–4 m. Ten seeds at about £2.96 are the best value cash outlay, and the smaller cousin when a courtyard cannot host Cercis siliquastrum, not a third equal chapter in this versus. The living siliquastrum in the set is the Akplants sapling, the top pick if you want that species as a plant.
Sun, shade and where they flower
Gardeners' World positions the Judas tree in milder, sunny, well-drained UK sites. Hayloft gives Cercis canadensis a dappled-shade preference compared with the taller species. That matters under a neighbour's tree or on a north-facing patio where full sun is rare. Eastern redbud seed in our set (B08P25CVHP) lists partial shade on the attributes, which aligns with Hayloft more than with an open south-facing lawn.
Neither species flowers reliably the year after sowing. Seed timelines from magazines and sellers run to many years. A sapling of Cercis siliquastrum may flower sooner than seed, but still not next spring. Northern Britain is not excluded, but Horticulture Magazine's southern advantage for Cercis siliquastrum flowering is worth weighing before you plant the tall species in a cold hollow.
Choose Cercis siliquastrum if you have sun, drainage and a permanent spot for a tree that can pass 4 m in twenty years and much more if left. Choose Cercis canadensis if you deliberately want eastern redbud, especially in dappled shade, and you accept it is not the Judas tree of churchyard legend. If the spot is a permanent small patio, neither species seed is ideal. See Judas tree in a pot for Avondale and nursery cultivars.
Cultivars you will not get from these packets
Retail photos often show purple-leaved Forest Pansy, a Cercis canadensis cultivar at 4–8 m on the RHS page, or deep purple Bodnant on Cercis siliquastrum. Species seed packets in this comparison do not become those cultivars, any more than apple pips become a named cider variety. If the shopping goal was purple leaves or an AGM badge, leave these ASINs and buy a labelled nursery plant.
The SAFLAX and Ipsa Cercis siliquastrum rows are generic seed. The Ipsa canadensis row is generic eastern redbud. Reviews do not mention cultivar names because the goods are not cultivars. Seed versus a living plant, and the nursery price gap, are on the Judas tree buying guide.
Which listing is which
Three ASINs are Cercis siliquastrum: the sapling B0D7M4M146 at about £12.50, 3.0 from three reviews; sixty SAFLAX seeds (B00NOTPDGU) at about £4.55, 3.1 from 100; and thirty Ipsa seeds (B09Z7XSPR6) at about £9.56, with no reviews. One is Cercis canadensis: fifteen seeds, B08P25CVHP, about £4.42, no reviews. One is Cercis chinensis: ten seeds, B07H9G8RS6, about £2.96, no reviews. Only the sapling is a plant. The canadensis packet is the versus focus. The chinensis row is the aside for small gardens.
If you already bought canadensis thinking it was siliquastrum, you can still grow a valid UK tree. It is simply eastern redbud, not the Judas tree of the RHS Judas-tree pages. If you have not bought yet, match Latin to intention before checkout.
Common questions
Are Judas tree and Canadian Judas tree the same?
No. Judas tree is Cercis siliquastrum. Canadian Judas tree on these packets is Cercis canadensis.
Which is hardier in the UK?
Both are listed H5 in RHS sources for established plants. Young plants need shelter. Do not read H5 as a seedling in a pot surviving any frost.
Which takes more shade?
Cercis canadensis is generally described as tolerating dappled shade better. Cercis siliquastrum prefers sunny, well-drained sites in UK advice.
Which gets bigger?
Cercis siliquastrum at 8–12 m ultimate on the RHS page. Cercis canadensis is slightly smaller in Hayloft's summary. Cercis chinensis is smaller still.
Will seed of canadensis give me Forest Pansy?
No. Forest Pansy is a named cultivar. Species seed will not match it.
Where does Chinese redbud fit?
It is a smaller species for constrained sites. Avondale is the patio cultivar sold by nurseries, not the B07H9G8RS6 species packet.
Which Amazon packet is which species?
Three lines are Cercis siliquastrum, one sapling and two seed packets. One line is Cercis canadensis seed. One line is Cercis chinensis seed.
Which should I plant in northern Britain?
Either can grow with care. Expect slower or sparser flowering for Cercis siliquastrum in cold, shaded sites. Choose species for your light and space, not a myth that canadensis always flowers in the north.
Related pages
Sources
Public UK sources used for this comparison. Listing prices, stars and review counts are the amazon.co.uk figures saved for this set on 19 October 2026.
- RHS: Cercis siliquastrum (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- RHS: Cercis canadensis (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- RHS: Cercis chinensis (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BBC Gardeners' World: how to grow a Judas tree (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- BBC Gardeners' World: Cercis siliquastrum (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Hayloft: how to grow Cercis (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: issuing plant passports in Great Britain (retrieved 19 October 2026)
- Oxford Plants 400: Cercis (retrieved 19 October 2026)