Jacarandas (was Re: tree-line!!)
- To:
- Subject: Jacarandas (was Re: tree-line!!)
- From: D* M*
- Date: Mon, 26 Jun 2000 11:36:25 -0700
There are quite a few jacarandas (Jacaranda mimosifolia) around San Jose.
The airport jacarandas in front of Terminal A were planted in summer 1990,
just before the big freeze over Christmas. Along with a number of Brazilian
pepper trees (Schinus terebinthifolius), many of these had to be replanted
after the freeze. (Temps fell to 19F/-7C, and didn't get above freezing for
several days). Not all were killed, though, and if you look carefully you
can figure out which ones lived and which were newly replanted.
There's a large number, perhaps 50 or so, planted in downtown San Jose on
the main square (Chavez Plaza). There's a few others in the older
neighborhoods around downtown; many of these are quite old.
In the heat wave two weeks back (109F/42C), it appeared to me that the
flowering jacarandas faded from deep purple to pale lavender in color. The
newer flowers weren't affected. It does seem that they're blooming more
profusely this year; perhaps that's because there was no freeze this past
winter in San Jose.
There's a medium sized white 'Alba' jacaranda in south San Jose, somewhere
along Blossom Hill Road, but I can't remember where.
The jacaranda planted at Berkeley Horticultural Nursery is just starting to
bloom; I've found that it blooms about two to four weeks after the trees in
San Jose start to bloom.
The very old jacarandas (some 80 years old) at USC in Los Angeles (along
Hoover St) always bloomed the second and third week of May--telling me that
finals were here!
Dan
San Jose, CA
(who wonders if there's other Jacaranda species that are used)
