This tree has a tremendous personality. Its name is jacarandá, which comes from the indigenous language Guaraní and can be translated as “perfumed and fragrant place.” Although its honey-like scent is quite mild, the jacarandá likes to show off its true colors briefly two times a year when it swings into full, purply bloom.
Most of the year, this tree sports jungly green leaves. They are incredibly detailed and almost resemble tiny, delicate feathers. In the hot summer months, the leaves provide plenty of shade, and in the winter months, they shed their leaves and allow the sun to shine through the branches of the tree. Between November and December, a magical burst of purple color starts to bloom, heralding the springtime’s real arrival. In the fall, the jacarandá sings its goodbye song with one more final round of violet blooms. Jacarandá trees can grow as tall as 65 feet!
Periwinkle is my favorite color, so when I first saw these celestial lilac flowers start bursting into bloom all over the city, I was instantly enchanted!! Taking note of the city’s evolving floral color spectrum is a more entertaining way to mark the seasonal changes instead of just checking the temperature on a weather app.
