Fern tree

About the plant

Jacaranda mimosifolia is native to Argentina and Bolivia. It’s an imposing tree with long-lasting purple blooms and is now planted extensively as a street tree.

Vulnerable

The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of the world’s species. The ongoing mission is to evaluate every plant species in the world.

IUCN Red List Status:

Not yet evaluated

Data deficient

Least concern

Near threatened

Vulnerable

Endangered

Critically endangered

Extinct in the wild

Extinct
Banked in the MSB

Seeds from this plant have been banked in Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, at Wakehurst in Sussex
Material

Plant provides materials for manufacturing either fibre or timber
Medicine

Plant or components of this plant are used in medicine

Click on icon to reveal more

Facts

Tall flowering tree
Long-lasting purple flowers on bare wood
Mimosa-like leaves
Often planted as a street tree

*Jacaranda mimosifolia*
By Jan Smith via flickr, CC BY 2.0

Foliage of *Jacaranda mimosifolia*
By Shih Chuan via flickr, CC BY-SA 2.0

Seed pod of *Jacaranda mimosifolia*
By Mauro Guanandi via flickr, CC BY 2.0

Street lined with *Jacaranda mimosifolia*
By Martie Swart via flickr, CC BY 2.0

*Jacaranda mimosifolia*
By Justin Raycraft via flickr, CC BY 2.0

Botanical illustration of *Jacaranda mimosifolia* (as *Jacaranda ovalifolia*)
From Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, 1822

Pollinators and flower visitors

Typically large Euglossine bees pollinate this species, and honey bees, such as the introduced Apis mellifera, are frequent nectar robbers. Hummingbirds are also known to feed on the nectar of J. mimosifolia.

Carving with the fern tree

This tree is highly prized by carpenters and furniture makers, and has been assessed as an alternative to indigenous trees for Kenya’s wood carving industry.

Medicinal benefits

Farmers, people of small isolated villages and native communities in developing countries often use folk medicine for the treatment of common infections.

Used in Colombian folkloric medicine, the water extracted from this tree has antimicrobial qualities which are used to treat Staphylococcus and E.coli.

Revision time!

Although not native to Australia, Jacaranda mimosifolia is a familiar sight along the east coast of Australia. It has a special meaning for University of Sydney students.

One of the most famous giant jacarandas is located in the university’s quadrangle. The bright purple flowers last for about two months, blooming throughout the lead up to exam time in the southern hemisphere. Myth has it that Sydney students will fail their exams if they don’t start revising before the first blooms appear.

Vulnerable

The International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of the world’s species. The ongoing mission is to evaluate every plant species in the world.

IUCN Red List Status:

Not yet evaluated

Data deficient

Least concern

Near threatened

Vulnerable

Endangered

Critically endangered

Extinct in the wild

Extinct
Banked in the MSB

Seeds from this plant have been banked in Kew’s Millennium Seed Bank, at Wakehurst in Sussex
Material

Plant provides materials for manufacturing either fibre or timber
Medicine

Plant or components of this plant are used in medicine

Click on icon to reveal more

Where to find this plant

Temperate House

Home to 1,500 plant species from temperate regions around the world.

The Americas: Temperate Region

Home to 33% of all the world’s plant species, of which 108,193 species can only be found in the Americas.