Community Corner
Viewfinder: Purple Jacaranda Canopies Brighten Clearwater Neighborhoods
Jacarandas, with its bright purple flowers, are blooming throughout Clearwater neighborhoods. The tree typically blossoms from late spring to fall, with its full bloom usually seen in May.
You can't miss them. Even if you don't recognize the name. They're jacarandas. The huge trees, notable for their incredible canapy of showy, bright purple flowers. Their fern-like green leaves take a backseat to the fragrant, violet blooms.
They might look beautiful to some, but not to long-time resident Dave Schriver. He knows the name of the tree, mixing in some obscenities when talking about the jacaranda's in his yard.
"They're messy. They drop sticks and pods," Schriver said bending over to scoop up tree debris in his littered yard. "I've already cleaned this area five or six times. You've got to do it before you mow, unless you want a broken [mower] blade."
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The two jacarandas on his property have been there since the house was built in 1955.
"The old man planted 'em, and he's been gone 40 years," Schriver said. "There used to be a lot more of them [in Clearwater], but the hurricanes a few years back wiped them out."
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The subtropic Jacarandas, perfect for Florida's hot and sometimes dry conditions, are native to the Caribbean and South America, especially in Brazil, Peru and Argentina, according to Floridata.
The tree is known by many names, according to About.com. It's also called Brazilian rose wood, blue jacaranda and blue trumpet tree. Jacarandas have 50 different types, which include flowers of blue, purple and white.
They need a large area to spread its limbs, as they grow anywhere from 5-feet to 50-feet tall and are 15-feet to 30-feet wide. Their 1.5-inch long, trumpet-shape flower grows in pyramid-shaped groups on the limbs.
They typically bloom from late spring to fall, though they're usually in full bloom in May.
Jacarandas grow best in full sun and well watered yard, but they can tolerate some shade and drought conditions. They can grow easily through softwood cuttings or graftings. Those hundreds of blooms eventually drop, which can be an annoyance to owners.
"They're pretty," Shriver said. "In someone else's yard."
