Jacaranda mimosifolia D.Don

Family Description

Trees, shrus and woody climbers, rarely herbs. Leaves opposite, decussate or alternate, rarely in whorls or rosettes, pinnately . compound, 3-foliate with branched or simple tendril often replacing terminal leaflet or undivided; glands often present at the base of the petiole. Flowers bisexual, zygomorphic, 5-merous, in panicle, cymes or solitary, terminal or on short lateral branches; bracts inconslicuous. Calyx campanulate, gamosepalous, spathaceous or 2-5-lobed. Corolla campanulate or tubular, with 2-lipped mouth or 5 slightly unequal lobes. Fertile stamens 4, occasionally reduced to 2 (5 in Oroxylum), mising stamens usually replaced by staminodes. Anthers each with 2 divergent locules, dehiscing by longitudinal slits. Ovary superior, 2-celled,subsessile,with nectariferous disc; style filiform; stigma 2-lobed, elliptic. Fruit an elongate capsule; seeds flat or ridged,prominently winged.

Genus Description

Trees. Leaves opposite, 2-pinnate. Flowers in large terminal panicles. Calyx short, campanulate. corolla pubescent to glabrous, campanulate, narrowly tubular at base, mauve or blue, lobes ovate to suborbicular. Fertile stamens 4, one pair shorter than the other, glandular-pubescent at base; staminode1, much longer, variously glandular-pubescent especially at apex. Capsule oblong or broadly ovate, woody, compressed, dehiscing perpendicular to septum; seeds obovate, flat with broad, irregularly discoid, papery wing.

Species description

Trees 6-12m. Leaf raches finely winged; leaflets elliptic to lanceolate, sessile, 0.3-2.5 x 0.2-0.5cm, cuspidate, sparsely glandular-pubescent on upper surface, glabrous and with prominent vascular pattern beneath, margins revolute. Pedicles 3-6mm, glandular. Calyx 2-3mm, including triangular lobes, c 0.5-1mm, densely glandular-pubescent., mauve, whitish within spreading, 2-lobed upper lip; tube 3.5-4.5cm; lobes 4-9 x 5-10mm. Fertile stamens 10-11mm, anthers with one fully formed cell, the other reduced to a minute appendage; staminode 25mm, with large tufts of glandular hairs at the middle and apex. Capsule (not seen, measurements from non-Bhutan specimen) 5-8 x 4.5-6cm; seeds 1-1.5 x 2-2.5cm, including wing; embryo 7-9 x 5-7mm.