Jacaranda mimosifolia

The most common street tree in Israel. It is characterized by hard and strong wood and a fast growth rate and is long-lived. It is resistant to the range of climates that generally exist in Israel: heat and heatwaves and the winter cold in most regions of the country, as well as to diseases and pests. Its weak point in terms of durability is in dealing with frosts. Young specimens may not survive temperatures that drop a few degrees below zero Celsius. The adults are more resilient. Therefore, the tree is common in most parts of Israel and less in high mountain areas, though specimens can also be found in Jerusalem.

In general, this is an excellent tree with few requirements. Nevertheless, it is sometimes difficult to ‘get along’ with it on city streets. It is important to professionally design it when it is young, which will prevent its branches from growing at acute angles and long branches that may break in the future. And attention must be paid to the appropriate amount of watering. The tree benefits from auxiliary watering in summer, and underwatering over time harms its appearance. On the other hand, overwatering when it is just getting established can be very harmful to the tree since it is at its best in well-drained soil. Regarding mature trees – to help them develop resilience, watering should be gradually reduced and even stopped from the month of September. Regarding water – it is important to control the growth rate of a young jacaranda with watering. Excessively rapid growth in its first years requires timely pruning. Controlled growth, together with pruning, will guarantee the enjoyment of a beautiful and useful tree in both private and public spaces.