Jacaranda
Though originating from South America, Jacaranda trees are common in India where I’ve admired them from childhood. Now learnt that they’ve infiltrated Australia, South Africa and various other regions worldwide, some places where they’re considered intrusive and non-desirable even.
| Botanical name | Jacaranda mimosifolia |
| English names | Blue trumpet tree, fern tree, blue jacaranda |
| Nederlandse naam | Palissanderboom |
| Indian names | Hindi: Neeli gulmohar, nupur |
Characteristics
| Native habitat | sub-tropical, south-central South America – southern Brazil, northwestern Argentina, southern Bolivia | |||
| Plant Type | deciduous tree | |||
| Bloom time | spring, fall | Fall color | rich, yellow hues | |
| Fruit | oblong to oval flattened dark-brown pods containing numerous slender seeds | |||
| Uses | ||||
Special notes
Nowadays planting new Jacaranda trees is illegal in South Africa:
… However, it is actually illegal to plant more Jacarandas, as they are classified as alien plants guzzling up all the town’s water and are harmful to the environment and surrounding species.
https://www.up.ac.za/botanical-garden/article/3108004/jacaranda-jacaranda-mimosifolia
Exam folklore
The University of Queensland in Brisbane is 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 the exam tree. Purple panic is a term used by students in south-east Queensland for 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.
Conversely, while the time of year the jacarandas bloom in Pretoria coincides with the year-end exams at the University 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.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacaranda_mimosifolia#Exam_folklore