Purple Delight

Jacaranda mimosifolia are grown widely in warm parts of the world. They are beautiful with showy blue or violet flowers and attractive, oppositely paired, compound leaves. This genus includes about 50 species. These are spectacular late spring flowering trees, which create washes of purple through many towns and suburbs each spring. In particular mass plantings of jacarandas along the street create a river of purple as well as a carpet underneath the trees when the flowers begin to fall. Jacarandas are large trees which grow to 30ft tall and up to 30ft wide. My tree was badly damaged by hurricane Andrew in 1992, and is only now beginning to start flowering again. It is so tall now it is very hard to get a good photo of the flowers.

Purple Beauty

Jacaranda is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of South and Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Jacaranda Mimosifolia (nurseries often label this tree Jacaranda Acutifolia which is a synonym) is the species most often seen in Florida are native to the Amazon River Basin countries of Brazil, Argentina and Peru. The spectacular Jacaranda is enjoyed as an ornamental in many near-frostless areas all over the world.

Here is a Jacaranda in full bloom. I should have taken this photo two days ago when it was at its peak. After two days of sprinkle on and off, many of the flowers are on the ground but the tree still looks spectacular; and this photo really does not do it justice. There are things you must see in person to fully appreciate their beauty. This is one of it. Miami is getting some very welcome rains these days, and today is how should I say it? Rainy!