Can you imagine being able to enjoy a walk among beautiful examples of Jacaranda? This species is so grateful and ornamental, that many of us had enough to look at it once to be fascinated … or am I wrong?
Surely you have seen this plant in many photos on social networks without knowing that it was the Jacaranda. But what is more common, you came to think that the photo was a montage and that a plant could not have a purple color as vivid as that of this species.
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But, before getting into the subject, let me tell you something … If you like the Jacaranda with lilac flower, this one with white flower will make you fall in love. Sight:
Its flowers are beautiful! And it needs the same care as the lilac flower. What are they? These that I am going to tell you now. You will be surprised how easy it is to take care of it.
Origin of the Jacaranda
Despite having characteristics of an Asian species and / or plant, the Jacaranda is native to tropical areas, such as those you can find in South America. Being more specific, It is common to see Jacaranda in countries such as Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina and areas that share similar climates.
A fact that very few know is that the plant originally resides in Argentina, Paraguay and Bolivia. But as such, this particular species (jacaranda mimosifolia) has its place of origin in the Tucumano jungle, located in Bolivia.
The Jacaranda is a plant whose flowers have a similar appearance to a bell or trumpet. If you don’t believe it, you can check other plants on our website that belong to the same family and notice that similar characteristic.
Places where you can closely appreciate the beauty of this plant can be in places such as María Luisa Park, in various parts of Seville, some streets of Santa Lucia in Tenerife, etc. And the reason why this plant is used is simply to color the site and make it more striking, either for tourists or residents of the place.
Although, if you ask yourself, what reason would you have for not planting this species in your garden or making a path with Jacaranda? After a few years, you will have a movie atmosphere and this is not a joke.
On the other hand and as a curious fact, there are around 50 species of Jacaranda officially registered. So you could have one near your house and not know it. But thanks to the characteristics that we will name you shortly, you will know what one of these plants looks like.
Features
The Jacaranda is a rather medium-fast growing tree, although without being fast. It grows to a height of about 10 meters, although in cultivation it rarely exceeds 6m. Its crown gives very good shade, since it can reach 3m in diameter and its leaves remain on the plant, but in cool climates it will lose them totally or partially.
As for its bark, it tends to acquire a crooked shape and the texture is cracked, so it is common for it to acquire a corky appearance. And if you look closely you will see that the cracks are quite deep compared to other plants with similar characteristics in their bark.
Moving on to what its leaves, sadly it is a plant with deciduous foliage. That is, when it reaches a certain time of maturity, it loses absolutely all its leaves. But this is not a problem. The loss of its leaves does so at a fairly slow rate.
It is easy to find Jacarandas whose crown is shaped like an umbrella, some tend to be semi rounded or have no shape, or even find specimens that acquire the shape of a pyramid.
Regarding the general structure of its branches, it tends to create several completely irregular branches, and depending on its branches, it will acquire different shapes from each other. Something curious is that this plant has a life time of more than 100 yearsso you can enjoy the beautiful color for quite a long time.
Now, the flowering of this plant occurs mostly during springbut there are cases where flowering can also occur during the summer or early fall. This change of time in terms of its flowering will depend on the environmental factor.
Don’t worry, it seems strange to many that this plant, in addition to creating flowers, also produces fruits. But yes, it does. The Jacaranda fruit has a capsule appearance and its size is between 6 and 8 cm., and the color of these capsules is brownish green.
The number of seeds for each capsule is numerous and these come to measure around 2 cm in diameter. Taking into account its characteristics, the ideal is to plant it in an area exposed directly to the sun, protected from intense air currents.
I recommend putting it away from the pool, since although it is a tree whose leaves and fruits can be easily removed without leaving a trace, in climates that are not tropical we may be forced to constantly remove them from the water.
Care
This plant requires special treatment when it is just developing. This treatment depends on the season and the amount of fertilizer to use. That is to say, while the Jacaranda is hardly growing, compost should be used during the summer and spring.
To be more exact, about 25 cm of natural compost should be used. Afterwards and when the plant has acquired sufficient size, the quantity and number of times will decrease.
Now, you may wonder how the Jacaranda can get a shape like the pyramid. Everything is in how the plant is pruned. If you want the plant to grow and acquire a special shape, we recommend that you opt for pruning as long as you do it in autumn, and it is really necessary.
And if you look at all the photos of Jacarandá that you will find on the internet, you will notice that the plant is always outdoorssurrounded by specimens of the same species but above all, located in a place where they receive direct sunlight.
To finish this section, irrigation should change as it grows. Once it has reached its final development, watering should be regular. The correct way is to avoid puddles as usual and give the plant an efficient drainage system.
Withstands temperatures down to 3 degrees below zeroBut once the mercury in the thermometer stays low … growth stops. Thus, the water needs decrease.
For the rest, it is a tree that can grow in all types of terrain, especially if during the entire growing season (from spring to autumn) we periodically fertilize it with natural fertilizers or liquid fertilizers.
Diseases and pests
It is true that the plant is a beautiful eye-catching species and that it is worth having anywhere. But like any plant, is prone to diseases and / or pestsBut the good news is that it is very resistant to these problems, so this is usually not a big problem.
What if this particular species can suffer from aphids, thrips and other annoying insects. And although this is not usually a major problem, there will be times where the plant ends up suffering from Jacaranda disease, which is nothing more than a bacterial infection that is lethal for the species.
If the right amount of water and fertilizer is not provided, the health of the plant is likely to decline, and even worse if it is not provided potassium soap in case of problems with aphids or thrips.
Uses
This plant not only has a decorative use in natural parks, gardens, roads, streets and others, but it also has other very interesting uses. For instance, Jacaranda flowers are used to make wines, various types of liqueurs and even honey and syrup. And if you wonder, yes, perfume is also made from Jacaranda flowers.
But this not this, since also can be used to create natural walls and decorate them at the same time. This would be a long-term use, but in the same way, it is a viable option if you want to have a natural space but above all it has a pleasant smell thanks to its flowers.
For the rest, the Jacaranda is basically marketed and used to decorate urban spaces. The reason is that both the aroma and the color of the plant and its flowers have a positive psychological effect on people.
