Mexican redbud (Cercis canadensis var. mexicana) plants exhibit leaf phenotypes with either a thin, dull cuticle or a thick, glossy cuticle. We compared leaf and cuticular structure of greenhouse-grown Eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis) (ER), Dull Mexican redbud (DMR), and Glossy Mexican redbud (GMR) seedlings via scanning electron microscopy. Mexican redbud leaves were almost twice as thick as ER and had a multilayered palisade parenchyma common among arid land plants. Both the lower (adaxial) and upper (abaxial) cuticles of MR were significantly thicker than those of ER. The surface of the upper cuticle in ER and DMR was covered with blocky crystalline structures. The surface of the upper cuticle in GMR was smooth. There was no difference in lower cuticle thickness or leaf thickness between DMR and GMR. The upper cuticle of GMR was significantly thicker than that of DMR. Mature DMR and GMR growing in a landscape in El Paso, Texas, had similar characteristics. Detached leaves of ER lost water at a significantly greater rate than did either DMR or GMR. There was no significant difference in water loss rates by detached leaves of DMR and GMR.