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Hall said not only do jacarandas grace us every year with thick canopies and carpets of purple, they\u2019re relatively drought tolerant, pest resistant and able to grow in urban areas (like in a small square patch of dirt surrounded by concrete).<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re attention-grabbers here in Southern California,\u201d said Hall, who grew up in Hollywood and has childhood memories of playing with the fallen purple blooms at a local park. \u201cIn a place where we don\u2019t have really obvious seasons, [jacaranda blooms] are a sign that warmer weather is on the way.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hall also shared a lesser-known fact about jacarandas: There\u2019s a white cultivar, too. The white version is much more rare in L.A., though with some of the trees rumored to be in a non-public area of the L.A. County Arboretum, Hall said.<\/p>\n
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A jacaranda at the LA Arboretum.<\/p>\n
How\u2019d they get here?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The jacaranda is native to the tropical and subtropical regions of Argentina and Brazil.<\/p>\n
While we don\u2019t know exactly<\/a> when the jacaranda first arrived in our area, we do know they were brought to Southern California in the late 19th century and proliferated thanks to a local horticulturist named Kate Sessions<\/a>.<\/p>\n Where are the purple hot spots?\u00a0<\/p>\n