Judas tree

American  

noun

1. a purple-flowered Eurasian tree, Cercis siliquastrum, of the legume family, supposed to be the kind upon which Judas hanged himself.

2. any of various other trees of the same genus, as the redbud.

---

Judas tree British  

noun

1. 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

---

Etymology

Origin of Judas tree

First recorded in 1660–70

Example Sentences

But he heard no sound save the flick-flick of the leaves of the Judas tree against the window, in the light airs from the Canigou, already damp with the early mist of the foot-hills.

From The White Plumes of Navarre A Romance of the Wars of Religion by Crockett, S. R. (Samuel Rutherford)

Violet and bloodroot, dogwood and purple Judas tree were all bespangled, bespangled with dew.

From The Long Roll by Johnston, Mary

Cercis Siliquastrum.—This is the Judas tree, and as many know, while the leaves are still absent the stems bear clusters of rosy-purple flowers.

From Trees and Shrubs for English Gardens by Cook, Ernest Thomas

A Judas tree in full blossom arrested her attention, and they came to a halt before its lavish display.

From Out of the Ashes by Mumford, Ethel Watts

What trees there were—the Judas tree, the tamarisk, the umbrella-pine—grew close to the low parapets.

From The Enchanted April by Elizabeth