Help, please - Beautiful purple flowering trees in Jo'burg in spring?
 

Can someone tell me the name (also the latin name) of those beautiful flowering trees we found in and aroung Jo'burg in October. I understand that they only bloom in spring - they were really lovely. I searched everywhere I know for the name, but apparently there are a lot of purple blooms in South Africa. These were growing in suburban gadens, along the highways - almost everywhere we traveled until we left the Johannesburg area heading south. Thanks for any help you can give me. - Joan

Bougainvillea?

The tree you saw is called Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia). It is actually a tree native to South America, but is found in Joburg, Pretoria, along the Eastern Cape and in parts of Zimbabwe/Mozambique.

James

Oh, doh! I should have thought of the Jacaranda!

The beautiful Jacaranda trees have made their way all over the world. Lots of them in the states and as far as Australia.

jweis,
Thank you for your reply - now I can look up this particular tree in a horticulture site. They are really beautiful. Because I didn't really get close to see the flowers, I don't recall seeing them in the states or in Zimbabwe (but I've only been in Zim in February or April - so it was probably the wrong season for the blooms). Now I need to find a photo, but I'm sure I'll be able to now that I know the correct name. Thanks again to Kavey and sandi. - Joan

Rancho Santa Fe, California is famous for their Jacarandas. But, I can't say it is so popular with me anymore. Parked a new car under one once. Turns out they have a sap or something that aggressive ruins the paint job.

Hi folks, I have jacaranda trees in my garden,gorgeous!!! We have them also in many hillstations in India. Also saw lot of trees in Spain and arusha, simply gorgeous. I also like another tree called mangnolia grandiflora.Sonali.

laungwablondes -

Just looking at this thread and stopping at my reply, it hit me that I recalled friends who have these in their neighborhood, had a problem. Then read your post... the same problem. The petals on the ground are dangerous and the sap was toxic.

What some may prefer to as "dangerous beauty."

When I moved to Northern California I was astonished at how few flowering trees there were in comparison to Harare. Jacarandas can grow here - we have one on our block but they are few and far between.

In Harare there are lots of wonderful old Jacarandas that arch over so many of the streets particularly in the Avenues area and create carpets of lavendar flowers...gorgeoeus. There are also wonderful flame tree with similar clouds of red florets but to me they can't compete.

Hi

We don't have the Jacaranda here in Norway where I live. I was really surprised to see this tree when I went to Tanzania to climb Kili (see http://gardkarlsen.com/kilimanjaro_index.htm ). At the hotel they had a huge Jacaranda that was in bloom and it was beautiful :-)

Regards
Gard
http://gardkarlsen.com - trip reports and pictures

We have a jacaranda sitting right above our swimming pool in Sydney - very much a mixed blessing with the beautiful flowers and tiney leaves playing havoc with our pool filter.
Further north the coastal town of Grafton is just a sea of purple in the spring. The streets are lined with the trees and they have a great Jacaranda Festival.

Pretoria is known as the "Jacaranda City", and it's a name commonly used in the context of the City, including the (mostly) local FM radio station.

But Johannesburg has more Jacarandas than Pretoria! Including two in my front garden, the pool's in the back garden. And including a great expanse of them in the valley on the left as one sweeps past the zoo going South on the M1. I can't remember off-hand, but the same ones are probably also visible from the Westcliff Hotel perched on the ridge.

I left Marbella, Spain in the month of June and the jacarandas were blooming. It didn’t make it any easier. Does anyone know when the jacarandas are blooming in Nairobi? November?

Gard, you’ve got some lovely Kili pictures, but I can’t find any jacarandas. Your trip was in late September and that’s probably the same time as they bloom in Nairobi. Thanks.

Hi Nyamera, Yes they bloom late october early november in nairobi. I have been twice in nairobi/tanzania around the same time once in 2002 and the other in 2005.The road between nairobi and arusha is full of jacaranda trees.
I was in spain sometime mid june and saw alot of jacarandas in seville,and along the coast,etc... love those trees,
Sonali.

Thanks Sonali. I really like to know this kind of thing.