Jacaranda mimosifolia is a sub-tropical tree native to south-central South America that has been widely planted elsewhere because of its attractive and long-lasting pale indigo flowers. It is also known as blue jacaranda, black poui, or as the fern tree. The tree grows to a height of up to 20 m. Its bark is thin and grey-brown in colour, smooth when the tree is young though it eventually becomes finely scaly. The twigs are slender and slightly zigzag; they are a light reddish-brown in colour. The flowers are up to 5 cm long, and are grouped panicles. They appear in spring and early summer, and last for up to two months. They are followed by woody seed pods, which contain numerous flat, winged seeds. The Blue Jacaranda is cultivated even in areas where it rarely blooms, for the sake of its large compound leaves.Pretoria in South Africa is popularly known as The Jacaranda City due to the enormous number of jacaranda trees planted as street trees and in parks and gardens. In flowering time the city appears blue/purple in colour when seen from the nearby hills because of all the jacaranda trees.In many parts of the world, such as Mexico, Los Angeles, Spain, southern Portugal and Zimbabwe the blooming of this tree is welcomed as a sign of spring.
