Jacaranda mimosifolia D.Don, Bignoniaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Low risk (based on second screen), score: 1 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: Brazilian rose wood, green ebony, jacaranda

French: flamboyant bleu

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Trees 5-15 m tall.  Leaves bipinnately compound with 13-31 pinnae, each with 13-41 sessile leaflets, these 0.3-1.2 cm long, 0.1-0.4 cm wide, glabrous or slightly puberulent along the midrib and margins.  Flowers in open, terminal panicles, the branches puberulent, calyx reduced, broadly campanulate, 5-toothed, the teeth ca 1 mm long; corolla purplish blue, the tube white within, 2.4-5.2 cm long, 0.7-1.2 cm wide at the mouth, pubescent externally and within at the level of the stamens.  Capsules drying reddish brown, compressed-orbicular, 3.2-5.8 cm long, apex often shallowly emarginate, base truncate to subcordate.  Seeds 0.9-1.2 cm long, the wing more or less surrounding the seed body."  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 387)

"Tree to 15 m high"; leaves 15-40 cm long, the pinnae on each side of midrib 10-23, the leaflets numerous, the blades oblong, 5-10 x 2-3.5 mm; panicles lax, to 30 cm long, the flowers abundant; calyx to 2.5 mm long, the lobes less than 1 mm long; corolla 3-4 cm long, blue-lavender to purple, paler in throat; capsule suborbicular, 4.5-6 cm broad"  (Smith, 1991; p. 146).

Habitat/ecology:  "Bushland, grassland, wooded ravines and riverbanks.  A fast growing tree that resprouts easily if damaged.  The spreading growth habit and the dense foliage shade out native plants and prevent their regeneration.  Little is known on the ecology of this species"  (Weber, 2003; p. 219).

In Hawai‘i, a popular ornamental now naturalized in relatively dry to mesic areas (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 387).

Propagation:  Wind-dispersed seed.

Native range:  Northwestern Argentina and adjacent Bolivia, widely cultivated in warm and tropical regions.

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Cook Islands Southern Cook Islands	Rarotonga Island	cultivated	Sykes, Bill (year unknown)
Ecuador (Galápagos Islands) Santa Cruz Group	Santa Cruz Island	introduced cultivated	Charles Darwin Research Station (2005)
Fiji Fiji Islands	Viti Levu Island	introduced cultivated	Smith, Albert C. (1991) (p. 146)
Guam Guam Island	Guam Island	introduced	Raulerson, L. (2006) (p. 62)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 387)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 387)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island	introduced invasive cultivated	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 387)
Nauru Nauru Island	Nauru Island	introduced cultivated	Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. (1994) (pp. 104-105) Single tree planted as an ornamental.
New Caledonia New Caledonia Archipelago	Île Grande Terre	introduced cultivated	MacKee, H. S. (1994) (p. 22) Vouchers cited: Sarlin 252, Blanchon 1615 (NOU), MacKee 15303
Niue Niue	Niue Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate (2004) (p. 43)
Palau Palau (main island group)	Koror Island	introduced cultivated	Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar (2003) (p. 81)
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands	introduced cultivated	Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. (1988) (p. 84)

Indian Ocean
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
La Réunion (France) La Réunion Island	La Réunion Island	introduced cultivated	Lavergne, Christophe (2006) "Cultivé/subspontané"

Comments:  "Jacaranda is a significant and successful invader in the northern and eastern parts of South Africa in savanna, riparian woodland and forests in sheltered situations.  The current rough estimate is that is has invaded about 1.8 million ha, mainly at very low densities." (David C. Le Maitre, communication to Aliens listserver)

Invasive in southeastern Queensland, Australia, but not yet a serious problem (Rachel McFadyen, communication to Aliens listserver).

Control: 

Physical:  Hand pull or dig out seedlings and young trees.

Chemical:  Cut large plants and treat the stumps with herbicide.

Additional information:  Information from the World Agroforestry Centre's AgroForestryTree Database.

Additional online information about Jacaranda mimosifolia is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Jacaranda mimosifolia may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Charles Darwin Research Station. 2005. CDRS Herbarium records.

Hancock, I. R./Henderson, C. P. 1988. Flora of the Solomon Islands. Research Bulletin No. 7. Ministry of Agriculture and Lands, Honiara. 203 pp.

Lavergne, Christophe. 2006. List des especes exotiques envahissantes a La Reunion. Unpublished manuscript (Excel file). .

MacKee, H. S. 1994. Catalogue des plantes introduites et cultivées en Nouvelle-Calédonie. Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris, 164 p.

Raulerson, L. 2006. Checklist of Plants of the Mariana Islands. University of Guam Herbarium Contribution 40:1-69. .

Smith, Albert C. 1991. Flora Vitiensis nova: a new flora of Fiji. National Tropical Botanical Garden, Lawai, Kauai, Hawaii. Volume 5. 626 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara M./Newfield, Melanie/Bull, Cate. 2004. Report to the Government of Niue and the United Nations Development Programme: Invasive plant species on Niue following Cyclone Heta. UNDP NIU/98/G31 - Niue Enabling Activity. 80 pp.

Space, James C./Waterhouse, Barbara/Miles, Joel E./Tiobech, Joseph/Rengulbai, Kashgar. 2003. Report to the Republic of Palau on invasive plant species of environmental concern. USDA Forest Service, Honolulu. 174 pp.

Sykes, Bill. 0. Bill Sykes, pers. com.

Thaman, R. R./Fosberg, F. R./Manner, H. I./Hassall, D. C. 1994. The flora of Nauru. Smithsonian Institution, Washington. Atoll Research Bulletin 392:1-223.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).

Weber, Ewald. 2003. Invasive plants of the World. CABI Publishing, CAB International, Wallingford, UK. 548 pp.