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Jacaranda

Deciduous tree, not native to Australia. Grows up to 15 m high and wide.

Leaves

Bright green, feathery and fern-like. Individual leaves are narrow and elliptic, 3 – 12 mm long and arranged either side of a 5 – 10 cm long stem. They turn yellow in autumn before falling from the tree.

Flowers

Blue-purple and trumpet-shaped, forming clusters that are 20 – 30 cm in diameter. Each individual flower is 2 – 3 cm long and about 1 cm wide. They are lightly fragranced and remain on the tree for about 2 months.

There are four stamens inside the flower which produce pollen, and also a staminode which doesn’t produce any pollen.

Fruits/Seeds

A red-brown seed pod that is round and flat, and 3 – 6 cm in diameter. It can remain on the tree for several months.

Field Guide

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  • Species Category: Plants
  • Species origin: Other
  • Conservation status: Common
  • Did You Know?
    • Originally from South America
    • There is an Australian Christmas song about Jacarandas because it flowers shortly before Christmas

  • What to Observe

    • First fully open single flower

    • Full flowering (record all days)

    • End of flowering (when 95% of the flowers have faded)

    • Open seed pods (record all days)

    • First fully open leaf

    • Leaves open (record all days)

    • First leaf to change colour

    • Leaves changing colour (record all days)

    • First leaf to drop this year

    • 50% or more of leaves dropped (record all days)

    • No leaves (record all days)

  • When and Where

    When To Look

    • From spring through to autumn
    • Leaves appear in spring after the flowers
    • Flowers appear in spring (November in NSW and September/October in North Queensland)
    • Seed pods appear after flowering
    • Leaves change colour in autumn before falling

    Where To Look

    • Widely throughout Australia, except in frost-prone areas such as mountainous regions
    • In urban areas, gardens, parks and roadsides

  • What Else?

    Similar Species

    Tibouchina or Purple Glory Bush (Tibouchina urvilleana) is smaller (up to 4m high) with larger leaves (4 – 12cm long) and larger flowers (each petal is about 4 cm long).
  • Trails: Albury Botanic Gardens NSW, Brisbane Botanic Gardens Mount Coot-tha QLD, Brisbane City Gardens QLD, Canning River Regional Park WA, Kings Park & Botanic Garden WA, Macquarie University NSW, Monash University VIC, Nowra IEEC NSW, Rocky Creek Dam NSW, Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne VIC, Royal Botanic Gardens Sydney NSW, University of Sydney NSW, University of Western Australia WA, Waylen Bay Scout Group WA
  • Species Region: Australia