Let's just say it is not necessarily abnormal.

Redbuds are native here and I've never seen anything like that. Also, that's a very old tree.

It's normal. At least I have seen it many times on old redbuds here. Google epicormic flowers on Cercis, or Cauliflory.

Wow. Mine has a couple flowers on branches, but nothing at all like that.

Thank you. Is it a function of age; similar to old men having hair growing out of their ears?

@maackia This research paper from a botanist at the University of Richmond goes into good detail about the "cauliflory" phenomenon in Cercis canadensis:

https://scholarship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1130&context=biology-faculty-publications

Sah67, thank you for the link. I read it once, then I read it again. I’m still trying to absorb it, but the link of this Cercis trait to tropical plants is interesting. I’m not sure it fully explains the cauliflorous flowering, but it made for an interesting read.

VV, nice pics. Maybe when the redbuds were wrestling, they got their trunks ground into the mat by the opposition.

Never seen a "red" redbud. This year's late Apr cold here extended the redbud flowers to over 2 weeks.

Saw this on Reddit a while back.

Also a very old redbud in my neighborhood gets them like this. I took a pic after peak bloom. You can see some of you zoom. Bad pics but I haven’t seen a redbud with a trunk anywhere near this big in my travels.

Does anyone have a pic of a relatively young Redbud with this trait?

James, that is also the largest single stem redbud I’ve seen.

Same phenomenon happening on Ilex aquifolium in my garden.