Thursday 6 December 2012

MELBOURNE STREET TREES 24 - JACARANDA

Jacaranda mimosifolia is a sub-tropical tree native to South America that has been widely planted elsewhere because of its beautiful and long-lasting blue flowers. It is also known as Jacaranda, Blue Jacaranda, Black Poui, or as the fern tree. Older sources give it the systematic name Jacaranda acutifolia, but it is nowadays more usually classified as Jacaranda mimosifolia. In scientific usage, the name "Jacaranda" refers to the genus Jacaranda, which has many other members, but in horticultural and everyday usage, it nearly always means the Blue Jacaranda.

The tree grows to a height of 5 to 15 meters. Its bark is thin and grey-brown in colour, smooth when the tree is young though it eventually becomes finely scaly. The twigs are slender and slightly zigzag; they are a light reddish-brown in colour. The flowers are up to 5 cm long, and are grouped in 30 cm 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 in diameter, which contain numerous flat, winged seeds. The Blue Jacaranda is cultivated even in areas where it rarely blooms, for the sake of its large compound leaves. These are up to 45 cm long and bi-pinnately compound, with leaflets little more than 1 cm long.

These Jacarandas were blooming this week at the University of Melbourne campus. Melbourne's climate is well suited to these trees and every year we have spectacular displays of blooms during early summer.


This post is part of the Floral Friday Fotos meme.






11 comments:

  1. The Jacaranda is a superb tree. I have one in my garden but I suspect it will take many years to look like the ones at Melbourne University.

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  2. These trees are beautiful.

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  3. the trees are magnificent, a wonderful shade of blue
    the university is lovely as well, nice setting

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  4. Terrific captures of my favorite, gorgeous tree, Nick!! Awesome beauty!! Have a great weekend!

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  5. Wonderful colour, very pretty!

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  6. Such a fantastic sight. So beautiful jacarandas.

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  7. Such great colour !

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  8. I love these trees! Such a beautiful color!

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  9. They are ridiculous trees; they make a hell of a mess with their flowers and leaves; they drop branches onto my grandkids and risk their eyes; my neighbour has a big one overhanging my back yard in Brighton East and I hate it. Ted F

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