JACARANDA MIMOSIFOLIA: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, CULTIVATION - BIOLOGY - 2025

The Jacaranda mimosifolia, popularly called jacaranda, is a native plant of Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay that is part of the Bignoniaceae family. It is an ornamental species that is used to tree urban areas.

J. mimosifolia is a deciduous tree up to 20 meters tall with spreading branches making a crown of light. The bark of this tree is pale brown with transverse wrinkles and cracks.

Jacarandas on a street in La Plata, Argentina. Source: Wikimedia Commons

The leaves of J. mimosifolia are compound and light. These leaves are on a 40 cm stem and can have up to 30 pairs of pinnae that carry small, pointed leaflets. On the other hand, the flowers of the jacaranda (common name of the tree) are of a very striking purplish blue color. In addition, the flowers are in clusters and each is bell-shaped up to 4 cm long.

The Jacaranda mimosifolia is native to Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay, having an exotic growth pattern in the rest of the countries of tropical America. It is a plant that grows in mountainous areas with sandy and fertile soils.

characteristics

Tree

The common name of J. mimosifolia is jacaranda, which in Guaraní means “hard wood”. This tree has a medium size of approximately 8 - 10 meters in height and can reach up to 20 meters in height in adult stage. Also, the crown of this tree is globose, irregular, approximately 5 - 6 meters in diameter.

Jacaranda mimosifolia with seedpods; Setúbal, Portugal. Georges jansoone

Branch

The Jacaranda mimosifolia presents upward open branching and the branches are slightly twisted, with soft and irregular breaks in their extension, with medium thickness. In addition, the final twigs have little pubescence and are lenticels.

Jacaranda trees on Montagu Avenue, Harare, Zimbabwe in 1975. Source: Wikimedia Commons

Cortex

On the other hand, the bark of the jacaranda tree is fractured and slightly corky. In turn, it has medium ridges and limited by shallow grooves with a fairly uniform distribution and parallel to the stem.

Trunk of Jacaranda. I, KENPEI

Foliage

Jacaranda foliage can be deciduous or semi-persistent. In addition, the leaves are opposite, decussate, bippinate, and almost oval in outline. They usually reach 20 - 60 cm long, and are petiolate, with 14 to 24 pairs of pinnae sub-positioned.

In turn, the pinnae are composed of 10 to 30 pairs of leaflets, sessile, green in the middle and light at the tip.

Jacaranda mimosifolia leaf. Crusier

flowers

The flowers of this tree are hermaphroditic and are 4 to 5 cm long. They are tubular with five purple-blue lobes. The calyx is small, with five serrated prominences, flared and pubescent.

Flowering occurs in spring, and can also be in late summer or early autumn. For its part, pollination is entomophilous.

Fruit

The fruits of the jacaranda are dry capsules of 6-8 cm in diameter, with an almost wavy edge. Also the fruits are dehiscent by woody valves. On the other hand, they contain numerous light seeds, with a membranous wing 1-2 cm in diameter.

Closed fruits of jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia). © 2006 Carla Antonini

Habitat and distribution

The Jacaranda mimosifolia extends altitudinally between 500 and 2400 meters above sea level, in the regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. Also, it grows in areas that average an annual temperature of 20 ° C and an annual rainfall of 900-1300 mm or more.

The jacaranda usually grows in mountainous areas, but it can also grow in some dry areas. It is also a tree sensitive to frost, especially when it is young and does not withstand strong winds, so it must be protected.

Jacaranda trees growing on the side of a road. Kolumbusjogger On the other hand, the Jacaranda mimosifolia grows on quite rustic soil, doing it optimally in sandy, porous, fertile and deep soils. This tree has a regular watering requirement.

Likewise, the jacaranda is a highly competitive plant, so it is common to see it growing alone in natural areas.

The distribution of J. mimosifolia is documented in almost the entire American continent. As mentioned above, it is a native plant of Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay. However, it has been reported to grow wild in various areas of Brazil.

In addition to Brazil, other countries where this tree can be found are: Antigua and Barbuda, Netherlands Antilles, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Dominica, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Guyana French, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Martinique, Monserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, USA, Venezuela, Virgin Islands, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Cultivation care

Jacaranda mimosifolia is propagated by seeds after the fruits have matured. The fruits are harvested in autumn and stored in dry places. Dehiscence occurs after a few months, obtaining the seeds that are sown in seedlings in early spring.

The seeds of this tree germinate easily in fertile and porous substrate, in moderately shady places. Also, dappled light and shade are good for jacaranda establishment.

On the other hand, flowering is more intense when grown in full sun. J. mimosifolia trees can tolerate light shade. It also grows fast in sandy, well-drained soils. This plant requires watering during the dry season. Branches should be pruned so that they remain less than half the diameter of the trunk. In this way it is possible to keep the plant intact and thus increase durability.

On the other hand, the "Alba" variety of J. mimosifolia has white flowers, but requires a longer flowering period, producing few flowers. There are also other varieties of jacaranda available.

Vegetatively, the jacaranda tree can be propagated by means of softwood cuttings or by grafting. Generally, propagation by seed produces plants that take a long time to grow, so grafted trees or those produced by cuttings are preferred.

As for pests, the Jacaranda mimosifolia can be attacked by the waxy mealybug (Ceroplastes grandis), very abundantly in terminal branches. Severe attacks can lead to the death of several trees.

Lastly, it is very important to protect the plants of this species from intense cold. In addition, they do not support very strong pruning, and are sensitive to bare root crops, so they must be kept in containers until transplanting.

References

1. Gilman, EF, Watson, DG, 1993. Jacaranda mimosifolia Jacaranda. Fact Sheet ST-317
2. Juares, F., 2012. Bignoniaceae Juss. Botanical Contributions of Salta. Flora series. 2 (22). Digital edition. Herbarium MCNS, Faculty of Natural Sciences, National University of Salta. Salta, Argentina. 40 p.
3. Kaplauski, M. Jacaranda mimosifolia: characteristics and use. Source: Spanish Arboriculture Association
4. Orwa et al., 2009. Jacaranda mimosifolia mimosifolia (D. Don -Bignoniaceae). In Agroforestry Database 4.0. pp 1-5
5. Rodrigues, G., Peruchi, A., Agostini, K., 2010. Polinization in an urban area: or case study of Jacaranda mimosifolia D. Don (Bignoniaceae). Bioikos, Campinas, 24 (1), 31-41
6. Socolowski, F., Takaki, M., 2004. Germination of Jacaranda mimosifolia (D. Don -Bignoniaceae) Seeds: Effects of Light, Temperature and Water Stress. Brazilian Archives of Biology and Technology. 47 (5), 785,792