UF/IFAS
Okeechobee County Extension Service
458 Highway 98 North
Okeechobee, FL 34972-2578
Phone: (863) 763-6469
E- mail: dfculbert@ifas.ufl.edu
April 10, 2007
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Feature Article - for release the week of April 15, 2007
Dan Culbert - Extension Horticulture Agent
A Lovely Lavender Look for your landscape
One comment heard locally is that there are few colorful trees adapted to our Florida Yards. Today’s column will introduce a spectacular flowering tree that can grow in our area, and provide you with information about its use in your Florida yard.
Its common name is the first part of its botanical name, Jacaranda. Horticulturalists know this tree as Jacaranda mimosifolia. In English, its name is pronounced jack-uh-RAN-duh. This is a native of the Amazon Basin of Brazil, so it’s also correct to pronounce the name in Spanish: HOCK-a-RON-da.
There are no common native relatives of this plant found in our area. Persons who live north of Florida may know of the Southern Catalpa tree and Trumpet Creeper vine, which are related to the Jacaranda. There are several tropical relatives in the Bignoniaceae family seen in our area, such as the Sausage Tree, African tulip tree, the Pink and Yellow Tabebuia trees, and the Flame Vine and Cape Honeysuckle.
These plants all share some characteristics with Jacaranda: colorful clusters of tubular flowers and fruits that, at first glance, may look like bean pods.
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| Jacarandas provide beautiful clusters of lavender colored flowers in Florida springtime. This tree graces the entrance to EPCOT in Orlando, and is a very stunning welcome to the annual International Flower Festival that UF Master Gardeners attend. Photos: Dan Culbert, UF/IFAS. | |
Jacarandas can successfully grow wherever citrus can thrive, roughly areas that will not dip below 25 degrees F. (The USDA calls this Hardiness Zone 9b.) They can survive as far north as Orlando.
The soft, delicate, fernlike foliage is actually a doubly-compound leaf, and the leaves grow across from each other on the stem. Because it will lose its leaves in winter, this deciduous habit can be used to help warm the southern sides of home when the winter sun is low in the sky. Planting evergreens with this tree may reduce barren winter looks.
In summer, with a full canopy of leaves, the Jacaranda can offer shade when temperatures climb. This tree can be used to save energy costs year-round.
The key feature of the Jacaranda is its dense terminal clusters of lavender-blue, lightly fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers. The spring flowering habit makes this tree an outstanding specimen for Florida Yards.
The striking blooms can appear any time from April through August, but most often in May. Their cavalcade of color sometimes erupts before the spring leaves return. Flowering is often more vibrant following a winter with several nights in the upper 30’s.
“Alba” is a white-flowered cultivar which has a longer blooming period but sparser blooms. There are other cultivars available.
Propagation is by softwood cuttings, grafting or by seed. Grafted trees or those rooted from cuttings are preferred as they will produce bloom in a shorter number of years.
Jacaranda may actually flower best when grown in poor soil. This tree can reach 25 to 40 feet in height with an equal or greater spread, and the arching trunks are covered with light gray bark. A Jacaranda found in LaBelle measured 68 feet tall and 74 feet wide. So with this kind of mature size, find places in the landscape where it will fit. Large parking lot islands more than 200 square feet in size and wide lawn areas more than 6 feet wide will do nicely.
Do not plant it too close to the house. Light dappled shade from Jacarandas may well cool a patio, but remember that leaf and flower drop can be a problem near pools. Sidewalks may get slippery when the blossoms fall.
Otherwise, the Jacaranda makes an idea street tree, creating a spectacular sight when in full bloom. Their arching branches will form a canopy over the street. Because the surface roots can lift sidewalks or interfere with mowing, keep it back away from curbs and sidewalks
Best growth and heaviest flowering will result when grown in full sun. Small Jacarandas can tolerate light shade and will grow quickly. They thrive in well-drained soils but tolerate a wide variety of soil conditions - from clay to sand and from sweet to sour soil conditions.
While Jacaranda trees are highly drought tolerant, they should be watered during dry periods. Choose a well-drained site or they may have problems with get mushroom root-rot. They are not likely to do well where salt spray is likely. Other pests and diseases are uncommon on Jacaranda.
When selecting a nursery grown Jacaranda, look for one with a single central trunk with major limbs well spaced apart. Less desirable are unpruned trees produce with narrow crotched branches. These may become hazardous as they can easily split apart, especially if windy conditions.
Jacarandas did not do well in our recent tropical storm seasons, but those that survived were able to quickly recover. Be sure that they are not planted too close to homes so they will not fall and cause structural damage.
Once properly trained and pruned, Jacaranda are fairly strong-wooded and less messy than other flowering trees. Prune lateral branches so they remain less than half the diameter of the trunk. This helps keep the plant intact and increase durability. The bark of this tree is thin and easily damaged from injury from scrapes and weed trimmers. Lower drooping branches so vehicles and pedestrians can move underneath.
This young Jacaranda
blew over in the hurricanes of 2004. Because
the tree was young and vigorous with shallow
roots, it was able to be pulled upright, staked,
and continued to grow in this landscape. Photos: Dan Culbert,
UF/IFAS. |
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I’ve placed more information on our Okeechobee web page, http://okeechobee.ifas.ufl.edu. If you need additional information on Jacaranda trees, please email us at okeechobee@ifas.ufl.edu or call us at 863-763-6469. Local residents can stop by our office at 458 Hwy 98 North in Okeechobee, and visit our Okeechobee County Master Gardeners from 1 to 3 PM on Tuesday afternoons. GO GATORS!
