PlantFiles: Brazilian Rose Wood, Green Ebony
Jacaranda mimosifolia

That tree was made for me. So beautiful in that purple bloom.
Wish my yard could handle one. BooHoo.

The tree is almost an evergreen in my area, losing its leaves just as the new foliage arrives. The blooms are very showy and beautiful. On the down side, it is messy and hard to clean off of the concrete driveway. In addition, the limbs are brittle and often break during strong winds.

I was in Los Angeles, California earlier this week for meetings. I had never seen these trees in bloom before, but WOW! They were all very magnificent. We were in Pasadena, Alhambra, and Beverly Hills.

These trees were exploding with color and beautiful flowers. The fallen flowers on the sidewalk were still very vibrant with color. This has me wondering if I could get away with one...

Since we put our incoming utility lines underground we had the room to include a Jacaranda on the north side just east of our Royal Poinciana. What a colorful show these two put on in the spring and summer. Both drop flowers, leaflettes and leaf stalks, but the colors and shade make them worth the minor inconvicnce. The shade from this tree is not so restrictive so growing underneath it will be easy. There are several in the neighborhood and almost all of them have nice plantings under the tree. Ours is just about 15 feet tall and we love it.

The first time I saw this tree was in a college I attended back in Huntington Beach, California. It makes a handsome specimen tree when planted alone as they did in that college. It must have been 50 feet tall and just as wide. The fine textured leaves are graceful and resembles ferns. Every year in spring, the whole tree bloomed pruple. The bloom was especially beautiful when all the leaves were gone. I did not notice how widely planted these trees were until they bloomed. One thing I did notice was the shedding of both leaves and flowers. The decaying leaves on the ground are messy and produces a musky odor that can be offensive to some. The disk shape seed pods are woody and flat(some with wavy edge) are about 2"-3" in diameter. They start out green then turing brown as they mature. Some people use the dry seed pods in floral arangements.
This is one of my favorite trees and I tried to plant it here in Henderson, Nevada where the temperature is more extreme. Young Jac, as I like to call my young jacaranda tree, has been planted for two seasons now. It seem to take the heat very well, even up to 115 degrees F, provided I give it enough water. It has survived the cold fairly well also, and only received tip damaged at 28 degrees. To be safe, we wrapped the tree with burlap when the air dips below 32 degrees. Older established trees can take temperatures below 25 degrees.
Trent the cacti_lover

Maybe I have never noticed a mess from my tree because it is out in the yard. It is such a beauty I would be willing to have a mess. Looking at it through my window when blooms are falling, I can see it as standing in water. It is magnificent! But on a sad note, while very drought tolerant as opposed to the info above, it cannot stand flooding very long. My tree has survived drought conditions when the grass has died out of the yard and Florida became a desert. But this past year when hurricanes and violent thunderstorms had us flooded for weeks, the younger tree died.

Definitely a lovely tree in bloom especially if seen in a group. Pretty messy though if you want a tidy lawn. They are very drought tolerant trees and are planted a lot throughout Israel for this reason.

This is a beautiful and very hardy tree in the desert southwest. It will tolorate extremely high temps with little effect on the tree. The down side of this tree is it's sheding habits. The very small leaves and sheding habits make it very undesirable for areas near water features. Swimming pools, fountains and the like are impacted by the thousands if not millions of these tiny leaves landing in the water. From very early spring, the leaves start to shed. Then the flowering season begins and the drop of flowers begins. After flowering, a drop of stems (the flower stems) 10 to 12 inches in length starts and continues all summer long. A beautiful tree but a very messy one!!!!!

These plants are very common parkway/street trees in a nearby city in which I used to live. They're striking in bloom, but they are messy. My one tip for Jacarandas: if you or a neighbor has one, don't park anywhere near it (or get a car cover) when it's in bloom. The blooms exude a very sticky nectar-like substance that takes some effort to wash off. It also stains concrete.

They are in full bloom at this time in Hawaii! Absolutely lovely. I don't have one in my yard, but there are some just 4-5 miles down the road and they do seem to do well almost anywhere on this island...from the highest urban elevations levels in Waimea, down to sea level in Hilo and Kona.

These trees are grown as street trees in some Australian cities and an avenue in flower is an amazing sight.In Sydney they flower prolifically in November. Further South in Melbourne they are more variable and flower round Christmas, so I am surprised to see they can grow in Zones below 10.

If old wood is cut into the buds below it will sprout and grow vertically which can look awkward, so they are better planted well away from wires etc. They are also surface rooters and quite greedy feeders so a rich mulch will work wonders.

This tree is a favorite. People rarely notice it, though, because of Flamboyant Trees that are the most common composite-leaved tree around, and they look similar at first sight. I have a Jacaranda in my street, but no one else seems to know it.

The bluish-purple flowers are great. And it grows fast and is easy to be propagated from seeds. I gathered some seeds once, planted them in organic soil, and in no time I had several plantlets. I live in ana apartment, so I am figthing against the circunstances to keep my surviving plant alive until I move to our new house. And it's doing quite well.

This tree in bloom is a magnificent sight to see!

The small blooms cover the tree in a fuzzy blanket of light blue-violet. The ground beneath these trees when they are in bloom is a carpet of the same light blue-violet.

The leavea are fronds in the same form as mimosa trees, a smaller relative. Usually the leaves do not emerge until the tree finishes blooming, but occasionally both will be present at the same time.

In the Northern hemisphere, these are at the height of their bloomtime around Mother's Day (the few weeks before and after May 10th).

Extremly beautiful and graceful tree.

Spectacular spring flowering deciduous tree. Usually blue flowers, but white also available ("White Christmas" or "Alba"), plus variegated foliage varieties. Lacy green foliage turns yellow in autumn.
Tip: pruning a jacaranda distorts the shape of the tree.
Good points: stunning flowers, excellent shade
Downside: messy near pools.
Genus of 30 - 45 species. Popular as an ornamental or shade tree. Allow ample space for the tree to develop. Only suitable for a large garden. One of the loveliest sights in Spring with the fallen flowers forming a blue "carpet" under the tree. The foliage is composed of many small, narrow leaflets. The leaves only create a gentle, filtered shade . Terminal panicles of tubular, narrowly bell-shaped flowers are borne from September to October on leafless branches.

If the tree is given too much water, the leaves appear first, somewhat spoiling the startling effect of the flowers. The flowers are followed by woody, disc-shaped seed pods. Grow in fertile, moist, but well-drained soil. Happiest in the warmer Summer rainfall regions. In colder areas, protect against frost for the first few years. It flowers best after a dry Winter. Wind-resistant. The tree only drops its leaves in late Winter, often turning a rich yellow in cooler areas. Adapts well to varying conditions. Propagate by rooting semi-ripe cuttings with bottom heat in Summer. Jacarandas seed readily, grow fast and transplant easily.

Jacarandas grown as (house plants) do not produce flowers. As they age,they lose some of their lower leaves and much of their beauty. When this happens,replace them with young seedlings.

Light; Give bright light and at least 3hrs. a day of direct sunlight.

Propagation; Jacarandas are best raised from seed. Soak seed overnight,then plant in a 2 1/2 to 3-inch pot of moistened rooting mixture and stand the pot in bright filtered light,watering only enough to make the mixture barely moist.

Germination should occur within 2 to 3 weeks. When seedling is 6-8 inches high,move into a 4-5-inch pot of the standard potting mixture for adult jacarandas and treat as a mature plant.

Feeding; Apply standard liquid fertilizer every 2 weeks during the active growth period.

Pruning;If a jacaranda becomes too big it can be pruned in spring.