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Jacaranda caerulea

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Jacaranda caerulea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Bignoniaceae
Genus: Jacaranda
Species:
J. caerulea
Binomial name
Jacaranda caerulea

Jacaranda caerulea (boxwood or cancertree) is a flowering tree belonging to the genus Jacaranda. It is native to the West Indies, in Cuba, Hispaniola (the Dominican Republic and Haiti) and the Bahamas.[2][3]

Description

Jacaranda caerula was described in 1805 by French naturalist Jean Henri Jaume Saint-Hilaire.[4] It grows up to 12 metres (39 ft) in height and has 40 cm long, bipinnate leaves each with 8 to 26 pinna.[5]

The flowers are purplish blue in colour with a tubular shape, being narrower towards the base and larger at the tip. They measure 3.5 to 4 cm long and 1 to 1.4 cm wide at the mouth.[5] It flowers intermittently throughout spring and summer, rather than having one big bloom during spring.[3]

Distribution

The tree is native to the Bahamas, Hispaniola, and Cuba, but can also be found in Florida where it was introduced for landscaping purposes.[3] It most commonly found in limestone areas between sea level and 300m.[5]

Uses

The leaves are used in some places for their antiseptic properties. In the Bahamas, decoctions are made from the dried leaves and used as an alternative treatment for a variety of skin complaints, including skin cancer. In Cuba, decoctions of leafy branches are used to treat eczema and acne.[6]

References

  1. ^ Freid, E.H. & Timyan, J. 2022. Jacaranda caerulea. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2022: e.T202826219A202880978. https://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-1.RLTS.T202826219A202880978.en. Accessed on 24 July 2022.
  2. ^ Grandtner, M.M. (2005). Elsevier's Dictionary of Trees: Volume 1: North America. p. 451. ISBN 9780080460185.
  3. ^ a b c Popenoe, John (1980). "Bahamian Trees for the South Florida Landscape" (PDF). Proc. Fla. StateHort. Soc. 93: 86–87.
  4. ^ "Publication Details, Exposition des Familles Naturelles...Paris (chez Treuttel et Würtz, ...), Strasbourg (meme Maison de Commerce)". International Plant Names Index.
  5. ^ a b c Gentry, Alwyn H. (1992-04-13). "Organization for Flora Neotropica, Bignoniaceae: Part II (Tribe Tecomeae)". Flora Neotropica. 25 (2). New York Botanical Garden Press: 62. JSTOR 4393739.
  6. ^ Duke, James A. (2008). Duke's Handbook of Medicinal Plants of Latin America. CRC Press. p. 381. ISBN 9781420043174.

Data related to Jacaranda caerulea at Wikispecies