What are the trees and flowers in Los Angeles?
An illustrated guide to Los Angeles trees and flowers 1 Mexican fan palm. 2 Canary Island date palm. 3 California fan palm. 4 Orange trees. 5 Angel’s trumpet. 6 Jacaranda. 7 Gold medallion tree. 8 Moreton Bay fig. 9 Bird of paradise. 10 Bougainvillea. More items...
What time of year do purple trees bloom in California?
Seen from elevated freeways, puffy clouds of purple appear to hover over neighborhoods. The bloom sometimes begins in March, but can usually be depended on from April through June. The trees’ color is especially vibrant against Southern California’s May gray skies.
How many jacaranda trees are there in Los Angeles?
There are estimated to be some 20,000 jacaranda trees along public streets in Los Angeles. Copy Link URL Copied! When spring’s warm sun slackens winter’s chilly grip, Angelenos count on their streets being punctuated with neon purple jacaranda trees — as much a trademark of this region as the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C.
What are the most common palm trees in Los Angeles?
Fast growers that can reach heights of more than 100 feet, Mexican fan palms are the city’s most common variety. In 1931 alone, Los Angeles’s forestry division planted more than 25,000 of them, partly as a Depression-era unemployment relief effort, and partly as a citywide beautification project in preparation for the 1932 Olympics.
How big are jacaranda trees in Santa Ana?
Where were jacarandas planted?
Who is Kate Sessions?
About this website

What are the purple trees all over LA?
It's Jacaranda season! It's that time of year again when L.A. turns into a violet utopia with vivid clouds of blossoms lining the streets. The Jacarandas are the cherry blossoms of Los Angeles with a sight and smell that is wholly captivating and have become one of the city's most recognizable trees.
What are the purple trees in Southern California called?
Jacarandas, with their beautiful blossoms in a distinctive purple color, were an easy sell, and in the 1920s and '30s they were planted extensively in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara.
What are the purple trees called?
The cherry blossoms that have made Washington, D.C. even more of a tourist hotspot have finally met their West Coast counterpart—purple jacaranda mimosifolia trees. They've just started to bloom in Southern California, and the spectacular sight will give you flower fever.
Where can I see Jacaranda in Los Angeles?
Beverly Hills But if you want to get specific, make for North Whittier Drive. They especially stand out here. You're also not too far from Ayres Avenue in Westwood or Miracle Mile, if you want to take a tour of LA's best Jacaranda spots.
What are the purple trees in Anaheim California?
There are 49 species of jacaranda trees, but the one that's most common in Southern California is the jacaranda mimosifolia, also known as the “blue jacaranda.”
Do jacaranda trees smell?
The tree itself doesn't have any strong odor. Even the flowers themselves have a very faint sweet smell to it. The strongest odor is actually the dried leaves accumulated underneath the tree. It smells musky with a hint of honey and earthiness.
What are the purple trees along the highway?
I notice lots of purple trees along the side of highways. Can you tell me what they are? I want to get some. Answer: “The purple flowering trees are redbuds, and the white flowering trees growing in the same area are dogwoods,” said Sue Price Johnson, a spokeswoman with the N.C. Department of Transportation.
Are jacaranda trees invasive in California?
Agriculture has taken over much of the jacaranda's native habitat, leading the IUCN to categorize this species as Vulnerable. On the other hand, the tree has naturalized in places far from its home. It is regarded as an invasive species in some areas because it out-competes the native plants.
Are there jacaranda trees in California?
The trees paint the sky each year in San Diego, Santa Barbara, Santa Ana and, most famously, Los Angeles. According to the most recent data available, there were 148,000 jacarandas in Los Angeles.
What month do jacaranda trees bloom?
Flowering and fruiting: flowers from late October to early December, generally on bare wood before new leaves appear. Flowers are mauve to deep purple, tubular, around 3–5 cm long and carried in large panicles on branch ends.
What month does jacaranda bloom?
The bloom sometimes begins in March, but can usually be depended on from April through June. The trees' color is especially vibrant against Southern California's May gray skies. L.A.'s oldest jacarandas are 80 to 100 years old, and there are estimated to be some 20,000 of them along public streets in the city.
What does jacaranda symbolize?
The tree represents wisdom, rebirth, wealth and good luck. The name jacaranda comes from a South American language Guarani and it means 'fragrant'.
What are the purple trees in San Diego?
The jacaranda is the official urban tree of the City of San Diego.
What does jacaranda symbolize?
The tree represents wisdom, rebirth, wealth and good luck. The name jacaranda comes from a South American language Guarani and it means 'fragrant'.
What are the purple flowering trees in Santa Barbara?
Native to Central and South America, the Jacaranda mimosifolia - the proper name for Santa Barbara's Jacaranda - was popularized here in California by the horticulturist Kate Sessions, who imported seeds from around the world to populate the then barren Balboa Park in San Diego.
What month do jacaranda trees bloom?
Flowering and fruiting: flowers from late October to early December, generally on bare wood before new leaves appear. Flowers are mauve to deep purple, tubular, around 3–5 cm long and carried in large panicles on branch ends.
Where are the Jacaranda trees in Colorado?
Simply plug “jacaranda” into the search field and you’ll see the locations for 1,031 jacaranda trees along streets and parks in the coastal city, including 20th Street north of Colorado Avenue; on 11th, 12th and 31st Streets just south of the 10; and, most notably, at the eastern end of Ashland Avenue.
What is the color of the jacaranda bloom?
They get your car all sticky and blanket the sidewalk with bee-baiting petals. But there’s nothing quite like L.A.’s annual jacaranda bloom, when trees all across the region pop with powdery purple flowers.
How many jacaranda trees are there in Los Angeles?
There are estimated to be some 20,000 jacaranda trees along public streets in Los Angeles. Copy Link URL Copied! When spring’s warm sun slackens winter’s chilly grip, Angelenos count on their streets being punctuated with neon purple jacaranda trees — as much a trademark of this region as the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C.
What color are the jacaranda trees?
Print. When spring’s warm sun slackens winter’s chilly grip, Angelenos count on their streets being punctuated with neon purple jacaranda trees — as much a trademark of this region as the cherry blossoms in Washington, D.C. Seen from elevated freeways, puffy clouds of purple appear to hover over neighborhoods.
How old are jacaranda trees in California?
The trees’ color is especially vibrant against Southern California’s May gray skies. L.A.’s oldest jacarandas are 80 to 100 years old, and there are estimated to be some 20,000 of them along public streets in the city. Pasadena maintains an estimated 1,654 jacarandas.
How big are jacarandas?
The scientific name for them is Jacaranda mimosifolia. They originated in Brazil, Argentina and Bolivia, and tend to be 25 to 40 feet tall and can be just as wide.
Where are jacaranda trees found?
A subtropical tree, jacarandas are well-adapted to the Mediterranean climate of Southern California
When do purple trees bloom in California?
The bloom sometimes begins in March, but can usually be depended on from April through June. The trees’ color is especially vibrant against Southern California’s May gray skies.
Who is Paul Duginski?
Paul Duginski is a graphics and data visualization journalist. He joined the Los Angeles Times in 1996. A native of Minnesota, he has a bachelor’s degree in English from Moorhead State University.
How old do agaves grow?
Agaves require almost no irrigation and are ideally suited to Southern California’s sandy, alkaline soil. When they reach maturity, at anywhere between 10 to 25 years old, they send up an asparagus spear-like flower stalk, then pass away from the exertion. These bad boys come in blue or stripey varieties with barbed leaves that can grow up to 6 feet long. It’s not just their sharp barbs that you need to watch out for—the agave’s leaves contain toxins known to cause burning rashes.
What is a California fan palm?
Shorter and stockier than Mexican fan palms, California fan palms are also known as “petticoat palms” on account of the shaggy skirts of dead fronds that encircle their trunks. Thanks to this feature, these palms are quite popular with roof rats. 4.
What cactus leaves cause burning rash?
It’s not just their sharp barbs that you need to watch out for—the agave’s leaves contain toxins known to cause burning rashes. 14. Prickly pear. Whoever gave the Opuntia cactus the name “prickly pear” was off on the second part—its fruit is actually a type of berry—but they sure got the “prickly” part right.
How big does a yucca moth grow?
Pollinated by the California yucca moth, it has a spiny base that can grow up to 6 feet wide and just as tall. When it hits maturity, usually after about six years, it sends up a flare in the form of a towering flower stalk, up to 15 feet high, that can catch your eye from miles away. Los Angeles. Share this story.
What palms were popular in the 1920s?
2. Canary Island date palm. Viewed as more upscale than common fan palms, Canary Islands became the palm of choice along the boulevards of Beverly Hills, Hancock Park, and other affluent neighborhoods in the 1920s and ’30s.
How tall are fan palms?
Mexican fan palm. Fast growers that can reach heights of more than 100 feet, Mexican fan palms are the city’s most common variety. In 1931 alone, Los Angeles’s forestry division planted more than 25,000 of them, partly as a Depression-era unemployment relief effort, and partly as a citywide beautification project in preparation for ...
What is the climate of Los Angeles?
Thanks to its balmy Mediterranean climate and unique topography, far from being a concrete jungle, Los Angeles is home to a wildly diverse array of trees, plants, and flowers. While it would take several lifetimes to learn them all, here are 16 that every Angeleno ought to be familiar with.
How big are jacaranda trees in Santa Ana?
One specimen in Santa Ana is on the official registry of Big Trees, measuring 58 feet high, 98 inches around the trunk, and more than 73 feet across the spread of the branches.
Where were jacarandas planted?
Jacarandas, with their beautiful blossoms in a distinctive purple color, were an easy sell, and in the 1920s and ’30s they were planted extensively in Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Sessions died in 1940, but her legacy continued as Los Angeles grew and jacarandas became one of the most recognizable trees in the region.
Who is Kate Sessions?
When you look up at a vibrant purple jacaranda tree —or a bush of bougainvillea, sprout of birds of paradise, or fragrant patch of jasmine, for that matter—you can thank Kate Sessions, a pioneering female horticulturalist who helped make over the natural environment of Southern California.
