Jacaranda mimosifolia
Also known as the fern tree, the graceful and spectacular jacaranda is a native of Bolivia, Argentina and Brazil, and one of their most beautiful exports. In Sydney, Perth, Pretoria, Lisbon, and in Pakistan and the Caribbean jacarandas lift the spirits; planted with gay abandon they create an amethyst canopy of fragrant flowers over suburban streets, and lay a purple carpet beneath, while the delicate emergent foliage castes a welcome summer shade. A great investment as a street tree not only for their beauty but also their contribution to air cleaning, urban cooling, and community mental health.
Jacaranda is a member of the bignonia family, which includes catalpa and paulonia. Grown in well-drained soil in full sun and frost free, it can reach 20 metres in height. It is deciduous, and may bloom twice a year. Despite the beauty of its flowers all parts of the tree are poisonous, ‘causing vomiting, diarrhoea, irregular heart beat, dilated pupils, coma and death’. The pale wood, when still green, is used for turnery and bowl making. Extracts of jacaranda also have antimicrobial properties against E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus.
In folklore the jacaranda is associated with wisdom, rebirth, wealth and good luck. If its flower falls on your head it is thought to bring good fortune. In Queensland late spring is known as the ‘Purple panic’, the time when the jacaranda flowers and students are stressed out completing assignments and preparing for final exams. However in Pretoria it is said that if the flowers fall on your head it means you will pass your exams!
