In the pantheon of medium-size shrubs, 'Avondale', a New Zealand introduction, is a "must have." Considered by many as the showiest Redbud, its bare stems, branches, and main trunk are literally covered with purple-rose flowers in early spring.

A small genus (about six species of deciduous trees and shrubs) nonetheless distributed over a wide area, across both coasts of North America to the Mediterranean and East Asia.