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Flora and Fauna
Jacarandás are a Sight to Behold… and can Bring You Good Luck
By Virginia Vickers Braun

A jacarandá in bloom in December on Golf los Incas. (Photo by Virginia Braun)

In November, when most trees in the States are dropping their leaves, many flowering trees in Peru are bursting into bloom. One of the most spectacular is the jacarandá with its vivid blue or lilac-colored blossoms and delicate, fern-like leaves. The sight of these enormous flowering blue trees seems to defy the senses. Unlike the African tulip tree, which also is a member of the Bignonia family and has been blooming for six months, jacarandás bloom for a relatively short while in the late spring, but they bloom twice: first when their branches are bare, and second when their leaves emerge. Their trumpet-shaped blossoms form in clusters composed of more than 50 flowers.

Jacarandás, or Jacarandá mimosifolias, originated in the lower highlands between Brazil and Argentina. Their name comes from an aboriginal Brazilian name and is properly pronounced with an accent on the final "a." More than 50 species of jacarandá extend from southern Mexico to Argentina, including the West Indies. In the wild, they can grow up to 10 meters, or 30 feet tall, and have an equally wide canopy. They are fast-growing trees that can be grown from either seeds or cuttings and like sunny, frost-free climates with few sudden drops of temperature. Since they are semi-deciduous, their leaves will drop when the weather turns cool and damp. According to legend, you'll have good luck if a jacarandá blossom falls on you. Some gardening books say that jacarandás prefer to be watered with rainwater, as tap water can be too cold. They like to be watered when the soil around them is almost thoroughly dry.

Ironically, a city in Africa - Pretoria - is known as the “Jacarandá City” for having more than 70,000 trees. Jacarandás are found in many other African cities and have commercial, as well as ornamental, value. Jacarandá wood is known as “false rosewood” and is prized by cabinetmakers and furniture makers.

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