![]() Down South, Australians are known to sing a carol each summer, calling out that “When the bloom of the jacaranda trees is here, Christmastime is near.” And British colonialists loved the purple haze, making an effort to plant jacarandas throughout Malawi, Zimbabwe, and Uganda. There, over 70,000 jacaranda trees stand, blanketing the city of a million in a sea of purple when they bloom in October and November. ![]() So taken with this vivid jewel, South Africa nicknamed its capital Jacaranda City (which is known to Afrikaans as Jakarandastad). And within this lore? A boatload of additional myths-including the notion that one’s grade point average will fall by a point for each blossom that falls on their head. And given the tree’s association with learning, colleges and universities around the globe have long featured jacarandas on their campuses-perhaps most notably so at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, where students know it’s time to crack down on studying when the petals fall to the ground (a spectacle that gave rise to the term Purple Panic). The myth persisted, enhancing the jacaranda’s magic:Įlder females within Amazonian tribes would gather residents underneath the shade of jacarandas-which is synonymous with order and knowledge-to dole out insights. Her work complete, she went back to the tree and floated to the skies above, where she was reunited with her soulmate-the child of the sun. Meanwhile, fables from the Amazon tell of a priestess of the moon who descended from the tree before assimilating herself with local villagers, with whom she shared her bounty of wisdom and morals and showed them the difference between evil and good. In the United States, fortune ensues for those who are lucky enough to have a jacaranda bloom fall on their head. Others speculate that the word is derived from Portuguese, for which it means “hardcore.” Whatever the case may be, it’s a core that’s steadily used: South Americans and Africans use the pale grey wood for carvings and other forms of turnery.Īs with most beauties of the natural world, jacarandas-which are also known as Brazilian rose woods and green ebonies-are a rich source of legends. Its rhythmic name can be traced to South America-to be specific, the language of Paraguay, where jacaranda is equivalent to fragrant.Īnd so it is true: This plum plant carries a smell nearly as sweet as the sight of its trumpet-shaped blooms. They may have an affinity for warmer spots, in part because they rely on the monsoon-esque climates of sub-tropical shores to flower. Many speculate that it was Cravalho’s Portuguese-rancher ancestors who first introduced this royal tree, as jacarandas originated in Brazil (and are now found throughout Cuba, Northwest Argentina, Bolivia, Jamaica, the Bahamas, South Africa, and Australia). There are few plants and animals endemic to Hawaii-nearly all flora and fauna were imported from outer shores-and the same holds true for jacarandas. Today, the amethyst-shaded blooms continue to thrive, where upcountry’s cooler climes nourish its abundant growth. During the late 1950s, the Portuguese descendant and Speaker of the Hawaii House of Representatives persuaded the Territorial Highway Commission to plant jacarandas along the highways of Kula and Pukalani. The former mayor of Maui County was raised in Keokea-the final outpost on the twisting Kula Highway-where jacarandas first appeared. Cravalho for the pastel touch on Maui’s sweeping slopes. Splendid and stately, these lilac beauties reach the acme of their bloom during Spring, when locals and visitors alike drive to the island’s upper reaches to take in their brilliant blue and lavender hues. Of the many gorgeous sights you’ll see, your eyes will surely be captivated by the miles and miles of mauve jacaranda trees, and they’re blooming right now! ![]() Kula, Ulupalakua, Makawao, and Pukalani are a much lusher realm, where eucalyptuses scent the crisp mountain air and ohia trees stretch into the vast sky above. The first image that often pops into mind when thinking of Maui is that of palm trees and sun-soaked beaches, but take a jaunt upcountry and you’ll be privy to a far different world.
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