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I,'m trying identify a tree I am seeing all over the city. (Metro Detroit) .
These tree are rather short the tallest around 8 - 10 feet.
They bloom in the spring. They start with bronze colored leaves and then in a couple of weeks they are covered with tiny lavender or dark pink flowers. By summer the tree has green leaves. The fall foliage is nothing spectacular. The big thing about these smallish trees is the spring blooms
They look like either redbud tree or crabapple. But no fruit so I'm thinking redbud but the trees I like are dark pink and the pictures of redbuds I see are lavendar in color.
I,'m trying identify a tree I am seeing all over the city. (Metro Detroit) .
These tree are rather short the tallest around 8 - 10 feet.
They bloom in the spring. They start with bronze colored leaves and then in a couple of weeks they are covered with tiny lavender or dark pink flowers. By summer the tree has green leaves. The fall foliage is nothing spectacular. The big thing about these smallish trees is the spring blooms
That description sounds very much like a flowering crabapple to me. The characteristic of leaves actually changing from purple-brown to green in the summer seems familiar enough -- I think I've seen/noticed it.
I,'m trying identify a tree I am seeing all over the city. (Metro Detroit) .
These tree are rather short the tallest around 8 - 10 feet.
They bloom in the spring. They start with bronze colored leaves and then in a couple of weeks they are covered with tiny lavender or dark pink flowers. By summer the tree has green leaves. The fall foliage is nothing spectacular. The big thing about these smallish trees is the spring blooms
They look like either redbud tree or crabapple. But no fruit so I'm thinking redbud but the trees I like are dark pink and the pictures of redbuds I see are lavendar in color.
Redbuds will bloom before leafing our and Crabapples bloom as the leaves come out (the bud is in the leaf cluster). The same bloom first and then leaf out order goes for Purple Leaf Flowering Plum, which also has pink blossoms and dark purple-ish leaves.
Redbud come in a variety of shades and colors, including white. Several varieties have dark red/maroon leaves, Merlot and Forest Pansy are the two I can think of right now. My neighbor has the Forest Pansy and the leaves in spring look almost the color of an eggplant. The leaves come out after the bloom, just like any other redbud. A leaf to ID the tree type would make it less guesswork because I can't think of any fully leafed tree that then has blooms to match your description.
Take a look at the following 2 links and see if any of the Redbuds match what you see.
Thundercloud Plum is a tried and true cultivar that has remained popular since its introduction in 1937. Light pink flowers, dark purple foliage, and an upright spreading, dense form make this garden classic easy to recognize. Like Krauter Vesuvius and Blireiana Plum, it is rated hardy to USDA Zone 5.
Probably not plum, their leaves tend to stay purple and not turn green.
I still have a feeling based on reading that, that it's a flowering crabapple rather than a flowering plum, though I could be wrong. I can attest to regularly seeing some cultivars of crabapples' leaves being able to change colour during spring from purplish-bronze to more green.
Here's some google images for "flowering crabapple".
I still have a feeling based on reading that, that it's a flowering crabapple rather than a flowering plum, though I could be wrong. I can attest to regularly seeing some cultivars of crabapples' leaves being able to change colour during spring from purplish-bronze to more green.
Here's some google images for "flowering crabapple".
Many fruit trees do seem to "look the same" superficially when flowering when seen from a distance.
It could very well be. The only problem I have is that the original description was of leaves out followed by flowers and no fruit. Of the varieties of crab apple I have owned or have seen around my neighborhood none puts out leaves and then a while later the blossoms. It is always more or less simultaneous. However there are several varieties with bronze leaves and maybe the leaves are more visible on those and look like the precede rather than co-sprout with the flowers. The two that seem the most like what the OP is seeing are: Purple Prince Crabapple or Royal Raindrops Crabapple but both still have the fruit that the OP says is not there. Raindrops has very small fruit (berry size).
It would probably be much easier if there were some pictures of the tree and closeups of leaves and flowers.
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Thundercloud Plum is a tried and true cultivar that has remained popular since its introduction in 1937. Light pink flowers, dark purple foliage, and an upright spreading, dense form make this garden classic easy to recognize. Like Krauter Vesuvius and Blireiana Plum, it is rated hardy to USDA Zone 5.
The only problem I have is that the original description was of leaves out followed by flowers and no fruit. Of the varieties of crab apple I have owned or have seen around my neighborhood none puts out leaves and then a while later the blossoms. It is always more or less simultaneous. However there are several varieties with bronze leaves and maybe the leaves are more visible on those and look like the precede rather than co-sprout with the flowers. The two that seem the most like what the OP is seeing are: Purple Prince Crabapple or Royal Raindrops Crabapple but both still have the fruit that the OP says is not there. Raindrops has very small fruit (berry size). 
