Jacaranda (Jacaranda mimosifolia): how to identify it

When jacaranda flowers, by hemisphere

Northern hemisphere. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions says jacaranda blooms in spring and summer, usually around May, and calls it one of the botanical treasures of Central and South Florida. The UC IPM page gives mid to late spring for California and notes that flowers often fail to form near ocean winds or in areas without much heat. In Arizona, the University of Arizona places flowering in late spring or early summer, with heavier, longer bloom in warm weather.

Southern hemisphere. The season flips. In Grafton, New South Wales, the Grafton Jacaranda Festival says the trees bloom in October and November; the 2026 festival runs from October 23 to November 8. The Australian Humanities Review article by Jodi Frawley traces Grafton's avenues to the early twentieth century, including a case of 84 young jacarandas in 1910, and records that the council inaugurated the festival in 1935. The same article notes that Joseph Maiden, director of the Sydney Botanic Gardens, endorsed jacaranda as an avenue tree for coastal districts.

Jacaranda vs paulownia, crape myrtle, mimosa and royal poinciana

Paulownia. The violet spring trumpets are similar, but NC State's paulownia profile describes simple, opposite, heart-shaped leaves 5 to 12 inches long, velvety on both sides, and woody, oval capsules about 1 to 1.5 inches long. Its leaves alone rule it out; the paulownia page covers it.

Crape myrtle. A purple crape myrtle is a frequent confusion. NC State's crape myrtle profile describes simple leaves 1 to 2.75 inches long, ruffled flowers that look like crinkled crepe paper from July to September, small six-valved capsules about half an inch wide, and thin bark that peels in patches. Jacaranda flowers earlier, its leaves are fern-like, and its flowers are smooth trumpets. See the crape myrtle page.

Mimosa. NC State's mimosa profile gives the same twice-divided, fern-like leaf, with leaflets about 3/8 inch that close at night and in rain, but pink powder-puff flowers from May to July and flat, brown, bean-like pods 4 to 8 inches long. The mimosa page has the full comparison.

Royal poinciana. In South Florida this fern-leaved tree flowers at the same time. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions describes flowers from deep red to bright orange, with yellow cultivars, first appearing between May and July, and pods about 2 by 18 inches. Red or orange flowers and huge pods rule out jacaranda.

More violet-flowered trees are sorted in trees with purple flowers.

Jacaranda in South Africa: invasive status as the agencies state it

The Stellenbosch University Botanical Garden lists jacaranda as a NEMBA Category 3 invasive that may not be propagated or transported, notes that it is regarded as invasive in some parts of South Africa, and gives Pretoria's nickname, Jacaranda City (Jakarandastad), for its many trees.

When the amended Alien and Invasive Species Regulations were published on 1 August 2014, the Department of Environmental Affairs said in a media statement that jacaranda is invasive in parts of the country but that the department had not listed the species in urban areas, where no control is required. The same statement says the rules allow large specimens within 50 metres of farm homesteads. Lists are revised from time to time, so treat this as the position the department stated in August 2014, read on 30 October 2026, and check with your municipality before planting or removing a tree. For indigenous South African trees, see the South African trees guide.

Jacaranda is not native to any of the countries where it is famous: NC State gives its home as Bolivia, Paraguay and northern Argentina. If you are recording street trees, Tree Identifier's Tree Map keeps each located find, so you can return in flowering season.