Jacaranda - WikiHQ

Jacaranda is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas while cultivated around the world. The generic name is also used as the common name.

The species Jacaranda mimosifolia has achieved a cosmopolitan distribution due to introductions, to the extent that it has entered popular culture. It can be found growing as an environmental weed in Central America, the Caribbean, Spain, Portugal, southern and northern Africa, China, Australia, Rwanda and Cyprus.

Etymology

The name is of South American (more specifically Tupi–Guarani) origin. The word jacaranda was described in A supplement to Mr. Chambers's Cyclopædia, 1st ed., (1753) as "a name given by some authors to the tree the wood of which is the log-wood, used in dyeing and medicine" and as being of Tupi–Guarani origin, by way of Portuguese. Although not consistent with the Guarani source, one common pronunciation of the name in English is given by .

Description

The species are shrubs to large trees ranging in size from tall. Most of its species have bipinnate leaves, leaves on the rest are pinnate or simple. Their wood tissue has narrow vessels and splayed parenchyma.

Jacaranda flowers are produced in conspicuous large panicles, each flower with a five-lobed blue to purple-blue corolla; a few species have white flowers. Flowers of this genus's species differ from other genera in their family by having staminodes longer than the stamens that not only make the flowers more visually interesting to pollinators like orchid bees, but also have glandular trichomes secreting plant metabolites that attract those bees.

Jacaranda intricata A.Gentry & Morawetz
Jacaranda irwinii A.Gentry
Jacaranda jasminoides (Thunb.) Sandw.
Jacaranda macrantha Cham.
Jacaranda macrocarpa Bur. & K.Schum.
Jacaranda micrantha Cham.
Jacaranda montana Morawetz
Jacaranda morii A.Gentry
Jacaranda mutabilis Hassl.
Jacaranda obovata Cham.
Jacaranda oxyphylla Cham.
Jacaranda paucifoliata Mart. ex DC.
Jacaranda puberula Cham.
Jacaranda racemosa Cham.
Jacaranda rufa Manso
Jacaranda rugosa A.H.Gentry
Jacaranda simplicifolia K.Schum.
Jacaranda subalpina Morawetz
Jacaranda ulei Bur. & K.Schum.

Cultivation

left|thumb|162x162px|Jacaranda seedling

Jacaranda can be propagated from grafting, cuttings, and seeds, though plants grown from seeds take a long time to bloom. Jacaranda grows in well-drained soil and tolerates drought and brief spells of frost and freeze.

This genus thrives in full sun and sandy soils, which explains their abundance in warmer climates. Mature plants can survive in colder climates down to ; however, they may not bloom as profusely. Younger plants are more fragile and may not survive in colder climates when temperatures drop below freezing.

Uses

Several species are widely grown as ornamental plants throughout the subtropical regions of the world, valued for their intense flower displays. The most often seen is the blue jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia; syn. J. acutifolia hort. non Bonpl.). Other members of the genus are also commercially important; for example the Copaia (Jacaranda copaia) is important for its timber because of its exceptionally long bole.

Gallery

File:Jacaranda ulei flower.jpg|Flowers of Jacaranda ulei

File:Jacaranda seeds.jpg|Jacaranda seeds

File:Jacaranda255.jpg|Jacaranda mimosifolia trees in full bloom in Islamabad, Pakistan

File:JacarandaTreeIndia.jpg|Jacaranda tree blooming in India

File:Avenida Figueroa Alcorta - floración de jacarandá.jpg|Jacaranda trees in bloom in Buenos Aires, Argentina

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References

External links

Dos Santos, G., & Miller, R. B. (1997). "Wood anatomy of Jacaranda (Bignoniaceae): Systematic relationships in sections Monolobos and Dilobos as suggested by twig and stem rays" (PDF file). IAWA Journal 18: 369–383. .
Goodna Jacaranda Festival at Evan Marginson Park, Goodna
Agroforestry Tree Database
Jacaranda Festival, Grafton;