It IS a Cercis canadensis, the 'usual' kind, so that name be just something the local grower or seller thought up, possibly because it was rosier than some other variety... wouldn't worry about it at all.

Forest Pansy is a named Cercis cultivar, usually sold as a grafted tree, with purple-y/red leaves, which can get greener as the summer goes on if it is in full sun. To my knowledge, it is as hardy as the species, although I have heard that it's not quite as floriferous - mine is too small to flower yet, so I can't say from personal knowledge. I saw one a few years ago, growing happily outside the Wyeth Museum, on the Maine coast, so I assume it is pretty hardy!

I was in Ashville NC the first week in April at the Arboretum and a mature Forest Pansy was there in full bloom. It had not leafed out yet and looked much like the other redbuds.

I have eight small ones that I assume are from rooted cuttings. The purple of the leaves seems to last only their first month or so. I like them.

Thanks for all your replies. Sadly as it turns out I won't be getting one. For some reason the price is three times the cost of the Eastern Redbud tree. I am not sure why. I'd love to have one just to have something different but I can't afford that price.
I should have looked for one while on vacation and brought it back home with me.
sigh....
Kat

I have a Forest Pansy Redbud. It has the same heart-shaped leaves; they are a deep burgundy with traces of green, (green underside) and they actually turn green with LACK of sun, not too much sun. I have noticed that the spring color is not near what is on Eastern (traditional) Redbuds; but that may also be because it is still quite young (not enough buds to notice from a distance). I live in lower Michigan, zone 5 and it is somewhat protected (it needs some winter protection). I picked it because I wanted a redbud and also wanted something unique. When I saw one, I just had to have it. I bought it at a specialty nursery 4 years ago, but like all "specialty" things, it is now showing up at regular nurseries and I even saw one at Lowe's recently. Keep your eyes open, you may find one. Was the one you saw a very large size? The first one I saw was very large and $450...the one I got was about 6 feet tall, and maybe 8 main branches for about $65. Have you seen the weeping redbud? They are beautiful too! If you like that color combo you could also go for a Plum; they have pink flowers and burgundy foliage and may be less common.

You can get young Forest Pansy trees... a foot and a half tall... on ebay for $20 plus $8 shipping from a vender called the Botany_shop. I bought eight of them and am pleased.

I just looked at mine and the leaves are still very purple compared to a standard redbud.

I bought eight weeping redbuds from another vender, "plantranch". Only three of them turned out to be redbuds. Those three are indeed weeping redbuds and the President, Darin Boyles, says he will make good the other five.

If I can ever figure out how to post a pic I'll ask the forum to identify the five mystery plants.

The grafted Forest Pansy are supposed to stay pretty red, true to the cultivar; the seedlings seemingly may get greener as the summer goes on. I'm not sure sun has too much to do with it - the one I saw in ME was in full sun in Aug., and very red.

I just noticed one of these for the first time a few days ago. I was thinking of attempting to clone it from a cutting in the late summer. However, I did not know that it was a grafted tree. I am competent at rooting cuttings, but have never attempted a graft...

Will rooting a cutting work without grafting?
Or should I take a cutting and attempt to graft it onto a wild redbud?

thanks for any help,
-hydropetunia