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Jacaranda mimosifolia

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Jacaranda mimosifolia
Scientific classificationEdit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Bignoniaceae
Genus: Jacaranda
Species:
J. mimosifolia
Binomial name
Jacaranda mimosifolia
Synonyms[3]
  • Jacaranda cheloniaGriseb.
  • Jacaranda ovalifoliaR.Br.
  • Jacaranda acutifoliaauct. non Humb. & Bonpl.

Jacaranda mimosifoliais a sub-tropical tree native to south-centralSouth Americathat has been widely planted elsewhere because of its attractive and long-lastingviolet-coloredflowers. It is also known as thejacaranda,blue jacaranda,black poui,Nupurorfern tree.Older sources call itJ. acutifolia,but it is nowadays more usually classified asJ. mimosifolia.In scientific usage, the name "jacaranda" refers to thegenusJacaranda,which has many other members, but in horticultural and everyday usage, it nearly always means the blue jacaranda.

In its native range in the wild,J. mimosifoliais listed as Vulnerable by theIUCN.[1]

Description[edit]

The tree grows to a height of up to 20 m (66 ft).[4]Its bark is thin and grey-brown, smooth when the tree is young but eventually becoming finely scaly. The twigs are slender and slightly zigzag; they are a light reddish-brown. The flowers are up to 5 cm (2 in) long, and are grouped in 30 cm (12 in)panicles.They appear in spring and early summer, and last for up to two months. They are followed by woody seed pods, about 5 cm (2 in) in diameter, which contain numerous flat, winged seeds. The blue jacaranda is cultivated for the sake of its large compound leaves, even in areas where it rarely blooms. The leaves are up to 45 cm (18 in) long and bi-pinnately compound, with leaflets little more than 1 cm (0.4 in) long. There is a white form available from nurseries.

The unusually shaped, tough pods, which are 5 to 8 cm (2 to 3 in) across, are often gathered, cleaned and used to decorate Christmas trees and dried arrangements.

  • J. mimosifolia fruits
    J. mimosifoliafruits
  • A jacaranda seed pod
    A jacaranda seed pod
  • Early jacaranda sprout
    Early jacaranda sprout
  • Tree in flower in Whakatāne, New Zealand
    Tree in flower inWhakatāne,New Zealand
  • Jacaranda trees in Bhutan
    Jacaranda trees inBhutan

Wood[edit]

Wood

The wood is pale grey to whitish, straight-grained, relatively soft and knot-free. It dries without difficulty and is often used in its green or wet state forturneryand bowl carving.

Habitat and range[edit]

Jacaranda mimosifoliais native to southern Brazil, Paraguay, northwestern Argentina (Salta, Jujuy, and Catamarca provinces) and southern Bolivia. It is found in theDry Chacoand flooded savannas, and in theSouthern Andean Yungasof the easternAndeanpiedmont and inter-Andean valleys, up to 2600 meters elevation. In its native range the tree is threatened by uncontrolled logging and clearing of land for agriculture, and is assessed asVulnerablein theIUCN Red List.[1]

The jacaranda is regarded as aninvasive speciesin parts ofSouth AfricaandQueensland,Australia,where it can out-competenative species.[5]

Taxonomy[edit]

The taxonomic status of the blue jacaranda is unsettled.ITISregards the older name,J. acutifolia,as asynonymforJ. mimosifolia.However, some modern taxonomists maintain the distinction between these two species, regarding them as geographically distinct:J. acutifoliais endemic to Peru, whileJ. mimosifoliais native toBoliviaandArgentina.If this distinction is made, cultivated forms should be treated asJ. mimosifolia,since they are believed to derive from Argentine stock. Other synonyms for the blue jacaranda areJ. cheloniaandJ. ovalifolia.The blue jacaranda belongs to the sectionMonolobosof the genusJacaranda.

Ornamental use[edit]

The blue jacaranda has been cultivated in almost every part of the world where there is no risk of frost; established trees, however, tolerate brief spells of temperatures down to around −7 °C (19 °F).[6]Even when young trees are damaged by a hard frost and sufferdieback,they will often rebound from the roots and grow in a shrub-like, multi-stemmed form.[6]However, flowering and growth will be stunted if the jacaranda is grown directly on the California coast, where a lack of heat combined with cool ocean winds discourages flowering.[6]

This plant has won theRoyal Horticultural Society'sAward of Garden Merit.[7]

Notable cultivation[edit]

Jacarandas atNew Farm ParkinBrisbane,Queensland,Australia

Pretoria,the administrative capital ofSouth Africa,is popularly known as Jacaranda City because of the large number of trees, which turn the city blue and purple when they flower in spring. The jacaranda trees, far from their native Brazil, bloom every October.Water scarcityhas South Africa trying to eradicate foreign species of plants and trees, including the jacaranda. Acknowledging the tree's popularity with locals, the government announced in the early 2000s that it would not remove the trees, but had banned the planting of new jacarandas.[8]However this position softened by 2016, and they were again allowed to be planted in urban environments in a number of provinces, although the position of councils like Johannesburg remained uncertain.[9]

Jacaranda inCity Botanic GardensBrisbane,painted byRichard Godfrey Riversin 1903

The first jacaranda bloomed inSydney,Australia in about 1850. An 1865 report mentioned that Sydneysiders were visitng theBotanic Gardento see the tree's "luxuriant blossom". The same tree is now over 175 years old, and protected by ropes to prevent it falling apart.[10]Jacarandas were first introduced toBrisbanein 1864, and there are guides tours of the best locations to view the flowers.[11]The city ofGraftonon the north coast ofNew South Waleshas a jacaranda festival each year in late October and early November.[12]

In theUnited States,the jacaranda is grown extensively inCalifornia,theSouthwest,southeastTexasandFlorida.[13]Jacaranda can be found throughout most ofSouthern California,where they were imported by the horticulturalistKate Sessions.[14]They are also planted as far north as theSan Francisco Bay Areaand along the frost-free coastal regions ofNorthern California.[13][15]In San Francisco, they can only be grown in the city's warmestmicroclimates,such asPotrero Hilland theMission District.[16]Phoenix, ArizonaandSan Diego, Californiaare known for them. They also grow in Hawaii.

Jacarandas can be found in many parts ofMexico Cityand are usually in full bloom in March.[citation needed]

It's one of the most common trees in Argentina's capital city,Buenos Aires.[17] In Europe the jacaranda is grown on the Mediterranean coast ofSpain(it is prominent in theValencian Community,theBalearic IslandsandAndalusia,with especially large specimens present inValencia,AlicanteandSeville,and usually with earlier flowering than in the rest of Europe), in southernPortugal(notably inLisbon), southernItaly(NaplesandCagliarihave many mature specimens), southern Greece (especiallyAthens) and the islands ofMaltaandCyprus.[citation needed]

Jacaranda are also widely common in cities acrossSouthern Africa.It was introduced toCape Town;thenJohannesburg;Lusaka,Zambia;Gaborone,Botswana;Nairobi,Kenya;andHarare,Zimbabwe.Beyond the region, Jacaranda are also cultivated inKathmandu,the capital ofNepalandMaharashtra,Madhya Pradesh,Karnataka,Kerala,andJharkhandstates inIndia.it is also a common sight in Israel, mainly in the towns and cities of the coastal plain. As mentioned above, the trees are best associated with spring in the cities of Pretoria and Harare, the respective capitals of South Africa and Zimbabwe.

In popular culture[edit]

The AustralianChristmassong "Christmas Where the Gum Trees Grow"makes reference to jacaranda trees, as the blooms are only seen in summer time—as the song explains," When the bloom of the jacaranda tree is here, Christmas time is near ".[18]

The movie musicalEncanto,set in Colombia, references the plant in the song "What Else Can I Do".Isabela Madrigalexplores her plant-summoning powers, she creates, and mentions by line, "a hurricane of jacarandas".[19]

References to the jacaranda plant recur in the musical work ofTrevor Rabin,providing the title of his2012 solo albumand also appearing in the lyrics of "I'm Running", a song which he co-wrote and performed as part ofYesand which appeared on their 1987 albumBig Generator.The plant has also lent its name to his home studio, The Jacaranda Room.

InArgentina,writerAlejandro Dolina,in his bookCrónicas del Ángel Gris(Chronicles of the Gray Angel), tells the legend of a massivejacarandátree, planted in Plaza Flores inBuenos Aires,that was able to whistletangosongs on demand.María Elena Walshdedicated her song "Canción del Jacarandá" to the tree. Miguel Brascó's folk song "Santafesino de veras" mentions the aroma ofjacarandáas a defining feature of the littoralSanta Fe Province(along with thewillowsgrowing by the rivers).

Exam folklore[edit]

Jacarandas inAvenida Santa Fe,Buenos Aires.Its blooms were popularly associated with exam time.[20]The tree collapsed in October 2016.[21]

TheUniversity of QueenslandinBrisbaneis particularly well known for its ornamental jacarandas, and a common maxim among students holds that the blooming of the jacarandas signals the time for serious study for end-of-year exams; the jacaranda when in bloom is also known as theexam tree.[22][23]Purple panicis a term used by students in south-eastQueenslandfor student stress during the period of late spring and early summer. The "purple" refers to the flowers of Jacaranda trees, which bloom at that time and have been extensively planted throughout that district. The "panic" refers to the need to be completing assignments and studying for final exams.[23]

Conversely, while the time of year the jacarandas bloom in Pretoria coincides with the year-end exams at theUniversity of Pretoria,legend has it there that if a flower from a jacaranda drops on a student's head, the student will pass all their exams.[24][25]

References[edit]

  1. ^abcHills, R. (2020)."Jacaranda mimosifolia".IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.2020:e.T32027A68135641.doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-3.RLTS.T32027A68135641.en.Retrieved2 April2022.
  2. ^"Jacaranda mimosifolia".Germplasm Resources Information Network.Agricultural Research Service,United States Department of Agriculture.Retrieved2008-03-09.
  3. ^The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species,retrieved10 September2016
  4. ^Agroforestry Database 4.0 (Orwa et al. 2009)
  5. ^"Jacaranda mimosifolia (Jacaranda)".BioNET-EAFRINET.Retrieved2021-10-30.
  6. ^abcKathleen Norris Brenzel (2007).Sunset Western Garden Book.Sunset Publishing Group. p. 415.
  7. ^"Jacaranda mimosifolia".www.rhs.org.Royal Horticultural Society.Retrieved25 September2020.
  8. ^"South Africa's deep-rooted problem: Unwelcome trees".Christian Science Monitor.3 August 2001.
  9. ^Import, Pongrass (2019-11-13)."Confusion over jacarandas".Rosebank Killarney Gazette.Retrieved2022-12-31.
  10. ^Power, Julie (2023-10-20)."Sydney's lesser known jacaranda hotspots and why trees are good for your health".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved2023-10-23.
  11. ^Kruk, Courtney (2023-10-12)."Our relationship with jacarandas runs deeper than what meets the eye".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved2023-10-23.
  12. ^"Jacaranda Festival Grafton".Archived fromthe originalon 2010-09-21.Retrieved2016-09-14.
  13. ^abEdward F. Gilman and Dennis G. Watson2 (November 1993)."Jacaranda Mimosifolia Fact Sheet"(PDF).hort.ifas.ufl.edu.Retrieved2019-02-21.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ^Howser, Huell."#15006 Jacaranda".California's Gold.Archived fromthe originalon 2013-01-12.
  15. ^Buzz Bertolero (2006-10-06)."Jacaranda trees growing in popularity in Bay Area".East Bay Times.Retrieved2019-02-21.
  16. ^Michael Sullivan (2013).Trees of San Francisco.Wilderness Press. p. 44.
  17. ^La Nación - August 28th, 2019
  18. ^"CHRISTMAS WHERE THE GUM TREES GROW - Lyrics".International Lyrics Playground.RetrievedJune 16,2022.
  19. ^"Diane Guerrero & Stephanie Beatriz – What Else Can I Do?".Retrieved2022-01-26.
  20. ^"Australians mourn tree that 'failed' university students".BBC News. 2016-10-31.Retrieved2016-10-31.
  21. ^"University community mourns jacaranda tree collapse".The University of Sydney.Retrieved2016-11-06.
  22. ^UQ Centenary 2010 - Jacaranda and Sandstone
  23. ^ab"Jacarandas signal 'purple panic'".The Chronicle.Archived fromthe originalon 30 October 2019.Retrieved29 February2016.
  24. ^"It's Purple Paradise as Jacarandas Bloom & Exams start soon!".SA people NEWS. 2014-10-27.Retrieved29 February2016.
  25. ^"The Jacaranda City".ShowMe South Africa.Retrieved29 February2016.

External links[edit]

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