Judas tree Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun small tree of the eastern Mediterranean having abundant purplish-red flowers growing on old wood directly from stems and appearing before the leaves: widely cultivated in mild regions; wood valuable for veneers
    Circis siliquastrum; love tree.

WordNet

Definitions
  1. (Bot.), a leguminous tree of the genus Cercis, with pretty, rose-colored flowers in clusters along the branches. Judas is said to have hanged himself on a tree of this genus (C. Siliquastrum). C. Canadensis and C. occidentalis are the American species, and are called also redbud.

Webster 1913