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Jacarandas are indigenous to Bolivia and Argentina in the heart of South America. Planted in the early 20th century to add an exotic accent to new suburban developments, Pacific Park’s Jacaranda trees still enchant residents and visitors alike. Each year these captivating beauties explode into a breathtaking spectacle of lush purple blossoms, bringing joy and wonder to all.

Hailing from the vibrant heart of South America, Jacaranda Mimosifolia, the “Blue Jacaranda” tree has made Pacific Park its home. These magnificent natural wonders cast a spell over residents and visitors alike. Every year these arboreal beauties explode into a breathtaking spectacle of lush purple blossoms, bringing joy to all who behold their enchanting display.

Jacarandas were thought to have arrived in California around the Gold Rush in the mid-1800’s, from schooner ships making their way West past Buenos Aires or via the exotic shipments of freight tycoon Phineas Banning, fresh from the Amazon. Whomever imported it first, credit for popularizing the Jacaranda in Southern California goes to renown horticulturalist Kate Sessions. Sessions opened her San Diego nursery in 1885, and soon became the leading plant dealer in the area. By 1892, she was providing the City of San Diego with thousands of trees, many of them her exotic favorites like the Jacaranda, reinventing Southern California as the tropical Garden of Eden we know today. The crown jewel of her career was Balboa Park, where her influence on landscape design rippled out over the southland.

A drought resistant tree with flowers in shades of beguiling purple, Jacarandas became a sustainable way for developers to break up the monotony of the suburbs. Jacarandas also became a defining icon of another North American metropolis, Mexico City. Desiring a spectacle as beautiful as Washington DC’s cherry blossoms, the Mexican President Pascual Ortiz Rubio tapped a Japanese immigrant, Tatsugoro Matsumoto, to import cherry trees into the capital in the 1930’s. Tatsuro, who tended the gardens of Chapultepec, suggested a more suitable option — Jacaranda trees. Soon the famous Avenida de La Reforma was lined with the majestic purple trees, delighting both locals and visitors.

Over the years, Pacific Park’s Jacarandas have stirred the nostalgia of Santa Ana’s Mexican and South American residents, while also appealing to new populations desiring a seasonal visual spectacle. Get your cameras ready to capture this brief spring magic casting its spell over young and old alike.

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Photos from The Online Archive of California