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Jacaranda Trees

Jacaranda trees are plentiful along the North Shore communities, and provide an inspiring view of Nature's hardiness. In the depth of the hottest, driest weather, when these trees are nearly barren of leaves and as stark looking as deciduous trees in winter up north, they suddenly burst forth with a nearly solid covering of dark blue flowers.

Jacaranda trees in Riberas del Pilar, late March

The scientific name for this plant is Jacaranda mimosifolia in the Bignoniaceae family. It grows into a good sized tree, up to 15 meters (50 feet) tall. The leaves are up to 18 inches long, and doubly pinnate, giving them a lacy appearance. In this area the trees gradually lose their leaves during the dry season. This tree is a decorative import from South America, being native to Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia. Young trees will die if exposed to frost, though mature trees can withstand temperatures as low as 20°s F.

The flowers are tubular, and just two inches long, but they grow in dense clusters 8 to 12 inches long. The peak flowering time in this area is the last week in March, though some scattered blossomes remain on the trees through May. The flowers drop off individually, carpeting the ground beneath the trees. Seed pods are flat and roundish, slightly irregular shaped, about two inches across and about half an inch thick, containing winged seeds.

All of the blue patches in this landscape are Jacaranda trees: