This plant of the Bignonium family impresses with its spectacular appearance. Jacaranda (pronunciation: jacaranda, jacaranda) is one of the most expensive and rare sources of rosewood. In total there are almost 50 species of this genus. In the tropical climate of Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, the West Indies and Australia, jacaranda is a medium or large tree. Being introduced into the nature of southern Europe - Italy and France - the plant has taken root there too. In the temperate zone, she is known as an exotic indoor culture.
Botanical Description
Most of this genus is evergreen trees, but deciduous trees are also found. The jacaranda trunks are straight, branched, reaching a height of 10-15 m, individual specimens grow up to 25 m. The bark is dark gray. The crown is spreading, in the form of an openwork tent. The leaves of the tree are bright green hanging, large, complex shape: pinnate, resembling fern. In the mimosolous species, they are double-pinnate: the whole leaf consists of 64 small ovally elongated plates transversely arranged in 9 pieces on small cuttings, which, in turn, are collected on a common central cuttings.
Jacaranda flowers are bisexual: large brushes made of small, about 3-4 cm in size, tubular corollas with 5 petals similar to violets, more often blue, blue, lavender or purple. The size of the brush is 15-30 cm. There are varieties with cream, golden or spotty colors. One of the names of the plant - violet tree, was given to him thanks to the shape of the petals. The flowering periods of jacaranda 2: the beginning of summer (in the southern hemisphere it occurs in December) and the end of autumn. At this time, the crowns are completely covered with caps of bright floral curls that persist for 5–8 weeks. The surrounding air is filled with a gentle rich aroma. After shedding petals, the fruits are tied in a violet tree. In mature form, these are oblong, dry, lignified pods 5–8 cm long, inside of which there are up to 30 large, flat, drop-shaped seeds equipped with light wings.
In Brazil, the flowering period of the tree coincides with passing exams at universities, which is associated with many student beliefs. It is believed that a brush of flowers or a leaf of jacaranda that has fallen on your head will definitely bring good luck.
Types and uses of jacaranda
The wood of the plant belongs to the sound species - rosewood, or rosewood. Its array has a beautiful bright brown color with purple streaks, the structure is very dense. Due to the saturation with essential oil, the surface of the wood glistens on the slices and gives off a delicate aroma. This is an expensive material used for the manufacture of piece collection furniture, handmade parquet, musical instruments, figurines and souvenirs.
The most common types of jacaranda:
- mimozolistnaya - a straight-stemmed tree of medium height with a beautiful carved crown formed by long lateral branches with double pinnate leaves up to 40-50 cm in size. It blooms profusely, the petals are bright lilac or blue, the species is common in the southern provinces of Argentina and Brazil;
- fluffy (jasmine-like): the height of the trees is about 10-15 m, the shoots are very pubescent, the leaves are pinnate, consist of 4 pairs of transversely arranged ovate leaves, flowers are golden or purple in color;
- small-flowered: found in Argentina, prefers territories at an altitude of more than 500 m above the ocean, flowers are smaller than in other species, blue and light blue, gathered in wide paniculate brushes;
- pointed: deciduous species, trunks with multiple branches, pinnate leaves, each leaf lobe has a characteristic pointed apex, inflorescences - as in a mimosol jacquarade: panicles from tubular cups of a saturated blue and lilac hue;
- fern-leafed: includes evergreen and deciduous species, found throughout South America, stems of medium height - up to 12 m, leaves are bright green, twice cirrus, inflorescences from 7-10 cups of all shades of blue.
There are also several breeding species of tree bred for landscaping gardens and creating landscaping.
Growing at home
In Russia, jacaranda is cultivated as an indoor and greenhouse ornamental plant. For the temperate climate zone, this is the only way to grow this tropical thermophilic genus. A temperature of + 13-15 ° C for violet tree is already a lot of stress, and at + 7 ° C most species die. Although it is known that in the native nature of South America, deciduous jacaranda withstand short-term cold up to -2–5 ° С.
Depending on the created domestic conditions, the plant takes the form of a compact exotic flower in a pot, a bonsai or a small tree in the winter garden. It is very rare to achieve its flowering. Young jacaranda do not bloom, but woody greenhouse forms gain abundant inflorescences. Subject to the correct care regimen, self-grown violet trees bloom for 7–10 years. Seedlings acquired in nurseries bloom in 3-5 years.
For breeding, a mimosol jacaranda is often chosen as the most spectacular appearance.
Landing
The soil mixture for plants should be moderately nutritious, light, well-drained. Suitable substrate from humus, peat, river sand. It is useful to add crushed charcoal.
Planting is done by seeds and cuttings. To obtain seedlings, the seeds are deepened a few cm into moist soil and placed in a warm, well-lit place. It is advisable to cover the container with soil film. Seedlings go out after 3-5 weeks. To speed up germination, it is recommended to soak the seeds before planting for 1 day in warm water or a special solution of phytohormone. In this case, the seedlings will appear in a week. Within 10-15 days, the sprouts reach 4 cm, and the first pair of leaves appears on them. After another month, the plant acquires dissected-feather leaves, and they can be transferred to a permanent place. It is better to immediately choose spacious dishes to ensure freedom of the fast-growing root system. Containers made of ceramic, wood or plastic are suitable. At the bottom of the pot you need to lay a thick layer of drainage of expanded clay, pebbles or crushed brick.
The apical jacaranda cuttings 8-10 cm long are rooted in sandy soil for 5 weeks. Every day, the top layer of the substrate must be moistened with a diffused stream of water from the spray gun.
Care requirements
The optimal arrangement of room jacaranda is near the windows on the west or east side. There should be enough light, but it is recommended to place pots under direct rays for no more than 2-3 hours a day. The rest of the time it is advisable to slightly obscure their blinds or curtain. Even illumination provides the formation of a symmetrical beautiful crown. So that the flower does not grow one-sided, it should be regularly turned, exposing to the sun in different directions. In winter, the plant must be carefully protected from drafts, cleaning deep into the room. The temperature regime suitable for it is + 19–25 ° С.
Watering is necessary regularly, but stagnation of moisture in the pot should not be allowed. Water should be soft, filtered or settled, with a temperature of about + 25 ° C. The topsoil before moistening is required to loosen or lower the lower part of the tank in a wide tray with water for several minutes. It is useful to carry out daily spraying of greens with an aerosol stream. In winter, watering and spraying the flower itself is reduced to 1-2 times a week, but periodically moisten the air in the room, placing saucers with water. Excessive dryness due to the included heating damages the greenery.
Feeding is carried out several times during the warm season: every 20 days a small amount of mineral or organic fertilizers is applied, alternating between their types. In winter, the plant does not need additional nutrition.
Pruning of the crown is carried out at the beginning of the active vegetative period: in April or May. To make the tree grow neat, pinch several excessively long shoots.
Transplant and disease
After the root system of the jacaranda fills the entire space of the pot, the trees need a transplant. Otherwise, their growth slows down. It is necessary to transfer plants to new containers every year, acquiring pots 30% more than the previous ones.
- First, prepare a new soil, lay the drainage and a little soil, filling ⅓ dishes.
- Carefully remove the jacaranda with a small lump of soil on the roots and place in a new container.
- While holding the plant in weight, they pour soil from all sides, without ramming it tightly. The root neck is left at surface level.
- Fertilizers are applied for transplantation as soon as possible.
Diseases and pests infect the violet tree infrequently. But with the appearance of strange spots or twisting and yellowing of the leaves, you need to carefully examine it. The reason is in the settlement on the green of whiteflies or aphids. If you ignore the parasites, they eat all the leaves on the plant. They fight pathology by spraying the crown with insecticide solutions.
Lack of nutrition or moisture causes chlorosis - excessive thinning of leaves, elongation of shoots. The plant becomes stale, begins to fade. You can return to it a juicy beautiful look by adjusting the care. It is recommended to add a small amount of iron chelate to the water for irrigation and spraying.