Jacaranda is the name that was given to these plants in Brazil, place of origin, although the ovalifolia variant is typical of northern Argentina. In these regions the wood is very appreciated in carpentry and woodworking.
Although this is an American exotic tree, is today one of the most typical trees of Seville. Apparently it was in the early twentieth century when they came to town the first two specimens that we can still see in the Plaza de America from the Parque de María Luisa. They were sent from England as a gift by Lord Mountbatten. This important diplomat, member of British royalty who was the first head of state of independent India at the request of Nehru, and he sent them as a souvenir of a conversation he had with a Sevillian gardener who was in charge of the Parque de María Luisa, Agustin Romero, when he was fined for getting a small carnation for the buttonhole of his jacket. The jacaranda trees were planted on the site where these small Carnation were.
The jacaranda, with its powerful blue and lilac bloom, is possibly after the orange, the tree with more presence in the botanical imagery of Seville. Interestingly, both species are closely related to England, the jacaranda due to Lord Mountbatten and the orange for a product that the British love, that is Seville’s orange marmalade.