The leaves are bipinnate in most species, pinnate or simple in a few species. The species are shrubs to large trees ranging in size from 20 to 30 m (66 to 98 ft) tall. Although not consistent with the Guarani source, one common pronunciation of the name in English is given by / ˌ dʒ æ k ə ˈ r æ n d ə/. Chambers's Cyclopædia, 1st ed., (1753) as "a name given by some authors to the tree the wood of which is the log-wood, used in dyeing and medicine" and as being of Tupi-Guarani origin, by way of Portuguese. The word jacaranda was described in A supplement to Mr. The name is of South American (more specifically Tupi-Guarani) origin, meaning fragrant. It can be found growing wild in Central America, the Caribbean, Spain, southern and northern Africa, China, Australia and Cyprus. The species Jacaranda mimosifolia has achieved a cosmopolitan distribution due to introductions, to the extent that it has entered popular culture. The generic name is also used as the common name. In 30 years of plant observation in the greater Los Angeles area, I had never encountered a flamboyant tree and would be interested to hear from any readers who have succeeded in growing this species locally.Jacaranda is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of the Americas. They are native to the dry forests of Madagascar, an island off the east coast of Africa, but are cultivated in the tropical regions of every continent. I wonder if Maxey has not stumbled upon an unusually cold-tolerant strain of this tree. Maxey refers to the tree as chivato, the name by which the flamboyant (Delonix regia) is known in Paraguay. Maxey has more than a hundred flamboyant trees, most of which are growing in pots. The person who has succeeded in growing it is Gerda Maxey, who lives in Sylmar. Foliage is finely textured and the tree has a parasol shape. This tree is known as royal poinciana or flamboyant, due to its electric orange flowers. There is a special tree, a relative of red and yellow bird of paradise, that only one person, to the best of my knowledge, has succeeded in growing in the Valley. Purple smoke tree, however, is tougher than ‘Forest Pansy,’ as it can grow in just about any type of soil and is highly parsimonious regarding its water requirement. It produces panicles of tiny yellow flowers this time of year that slowly turn into large, smoky, pinkish inflorescences. Like ‘Forest Pansy,’ purple smoke tree reaches a height of 10 to 15 feet. Several years from now, they probably won’t be but, for now, they are the picture of health.Īt the same Burbank-Vesper corner address, purple smoke tree (Cotinus coggygria ‘Royal Purple’) is thriving, too. It’s somewhat ironic that when you come to the end of the freeway exit ramp mentioned above and turn left on Burbank Boulevard, you will arrive a few moments later at Vesper Avenue, where two incredibly robust ‘Forest Pansy’ specimens are flourishing. It turns out that I was too optimistic estimating its lifespan in this part of the world. In that column from two years ago, I reported that in its rainy habitat of the Southeastern United States, ‘Forest Pansy’ has a life span of 30 years and I projected that it may only live half as long in the dry San Fernando Valley. So it would appear that, six or seven years after planting, they either died or had become so unsightly that it made sense to remove them. Well, it’s two years later, and when I passed that same freeway embankment today, I did not see any evidence of ‘Forest Pansy’ trees. I will be noting the progress and longevity of these trees to see how long they endure life in the mid-Valley.” I have noticed that one tree is already struggling and not nearly as robust as the others. “For the last several years, ever since they were planted, I have been admiring a stand of ‘Forest Pansy’ trees on an embankment just below the Burbank Boulevard offramp of the southbound San Diego Freeway. Deep burgundy foliage that is heart-shaped covers attractive gray bark and, in spring, there is a large collection of pink flowers.Ī little more than two years ago, in May of 2012, I wrote the following in a column that appeared in some of these newspapers: When you first encounter the eastern redbud known as Cercis canadensis ‘Forest Pansy,’ you will find it impossible to resist.
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