Trees With Purple Seedpods

Juniper Tree

• The juniper tree, Cupressaceae juniperus, tree has between 50 and 67 different varieties. The tree produces female seed cones resembling berries known as juniper berries. Although edible, these are hard-shelled seeds, not berries. In most juniper species, the seeds are a bluish-purple shade. They are aromatic and are used in cooking to flavor the food. Trees such as the Rocky Mountain juniper grow large with the largest tree in North Dakota measuring 7.5 feet in trunk circumference.

Purple Orchid Tree

• The purple orchid tree, Bauhinia purpurea L., is also called the butterfly tree and grows well in Florida. Blooming in fall and winter, the tree produces large, fragrant, purple flowers followed by purple-brown seedpods. The seeds are elongated and flat in shape. This deciduous tree prefers well-draining soil and a full sun location. It grows best in U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zones 9b to 11.

Judas Tree

• The Judas tree, Cercis Silaquastrum, native to the eastern Mediterranean region, is a slow-growing tree that takes up to 3 years to establish its roots. It grows well in any soil, even dry environments, and provides shade for urban gardens once it matures. Clusters of lilac flowers form in spring each year, often growing directly out of the trunk and branches. From July onwards, the flowers are followed by purple-tinted seedpods that hang in similar clusters.

Jacaranda Tree

• The blue jacaranda, Jacaranda mimosifolia D. Don, grows in zones 9b to 10. The trees originated in South America and are easy to grow from seed or cuttings. The trees are semideciduous and produce showy purple flowers, which are followed by seedpods that are a woody-brown hue tinged with purple.