Jacaranda 'Bonsai Blue'- a dwarf Jacaranda

[Eric in Orlando]

We got this Jacaranda 'Bonsai Blue' from Monrovia this spring. It is supposed to be a dwarf only growing 5-6ft. tall. It is grafted but I don't know what it is grafted onto.

[Pip]

Wow that tree is very cool.

[Loxahatchee Adam]

The leaves and flowers look exactly like Jacaranda mimosifolia. I'm wondering if they just graft a branch from a tree large/old enough to already be flowering onto J. mimosifolia rootstock that is not large enough to flower.

[Palms1984]

That's very interesting! I've seen a Jacaranda tree stay that small.

[Eric in Orlando]

It will be interesting to see if it stays dwarfed.

[rprimbs]

I'm curious, how big is the tree now?  Any recent pictures?

[RedRabbit]

Neat tree, thanks for sharing Eric. If I ever have to get another shade tree it will probably be a jacaranda (not dwarf though.)

[Palm crazy]

I am thinking about getting one of these and grow in a pot… the tag say they grow up to 10'-12' tall and 6'-8' wide.  If I get one will post a picture. 

[Hillizard]

My understanding is this Jacaranda was a sport discovered by Kiyoshi Sakai in Japan. He's patented it: http://patentsgazette.uspto.gov/week14/OG/html/1425-1/USPP026574-20160405.html . Now commercial growers in Israel, Australia and the U.S. are licensed to produce it for sale.

Here's mine in the ground in interior NorCal. I've had it for a couple of years. It's just starting to come into flower. It gets hit hard by frost in the winter but comes back with fernlike foliage by late spring. 

[Palm crazy]

NIce foliage looks very lush. NIce to see it going to bloom!   The one I saw last month in bloom was grown in a pot and stood about 4' tall.  

[Eric in Orlando]

Here is an update on the specimen at Leu Gardens. It has grown taller than advertised. Ours is about 8ft tall now. I still wonder what species it is. The rootstock is the common Jacaranda mimosifolia. I'm wondering if the top may be Jacaranda brasiliana. Here it is currently;

 

 

[Palm crazy]

After seeing the great picture I got one on Sunday. Notice how big the trunk is and its has been prune at least once. 

[Palm crazy]

Planted mine in a tall container and it looks great. After it stops blooming will move it to the south side of the house for extra sun. I love its ferny foliage and blue flowers. 

[Hillizard]

My 'Bonsai Blue" Jacaranda has a thick trunk like Palm Crazy's. Mine came from Monrovia too. And the branch internodes are spaced close together, which makes for dense foliage when it leafs out. Because it gets hit hard by frost where I live, there's major branch tip die-back, so I expect it to stay relatively short... which is what I wanted anyway.

http://www.monrovia.com/plant-catalog/plants/5091/bonsai-blue-jacaranda/

 

Edited June 5, 2017 by Hillizard

[Hillizard]

On 6/3/2017, 8:10:19, Hillizard said:

My understanding is this Jacaranda was a sport discovered by Kiyoshi Sakai in Japan. He's patented it: http://patentsgazette.uspto.gov/week14/OG/html/1425-1/USPP026574-20160405.html . Now commercial growers in Israel, Australia and the U.S. are licensed to produce it for sale.

Here's mine in the ground in interior NorCal. I've had it for a couple of years. It's just starting to come into flower. It gets hit hard by frost in the winter but comes back with fernlike foliage by late spring. 

With this latest photo it looks like I'll be enjoying more foliage than flowers this year, but I still like the look of this Jacaranda!

 

[bubba]

I believe I located a similar specimen in a local garden:

[Jdiaz31089]

1 hour ago, bubba said:

I believe I located a similar specimen in a local garden:

this isn't a jacaranda. It looks like a solanum.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, Jdiaz31089 said:

this isn't a jacaranda. It looks like a solanum.

Agree, looks like Giant potato bush. 

[bubba]

You are correct. This is not a Jack. My research shows this to be a Lycianthes rantonelli,which is indigenous to Argenina and Paraguay and is best suited to frost-free climates. It is referred to as the Blue Potato Bush and the Paraguay Nightshade. One on-line guide classifies it as Zone 11 or 12, while Dave's Garden classifies it as 9b-11. Based upon numerous places listed where it grows, it certainly is not an uber-tropical. Does frost or cold have any effect on this shrub? Does it flower less frequently in cooler regions and is it a shrub that can be frozen to the ground but rebounds after cold?

[Silas_Sancona]

The species in the picture is Solanum macranthum, aka Giant star potato bush/ Giant potato bush. ( forgot to add `el latin before) The other you'd described, L. rantonelli, is quite commonly seen in California, and occasionally here in the desert in shade.  Thinking it can even grow in 9a areas reletively well also.

The first is, as far as I know, a rarer sight out this way, though I'd reason it can withstand at least the upper 20s relatively unharmed, or without being wiped out completely. The big specimen at USF's Botanical garden seemed to hold up well. Theoretically, i'd place it's hardiness close to that of Calotropis, aka Giant Milkweed which takes some cold, and seems to grow here fairly well, possibly even in full sun ( saw a nice white flowered specimen fully exposed to the elements outside a hotel north of Coolidge while taking 87 back from Tucson 2 weeks ago)  Flowers on S. macaranthum are huge and quite fragrant. L. rantonellii flowers are smaller, rich, dark purple blue, don't fade much, and  are generally more numerous.. both are great plants.  Love the huge leaves of S. macranthum a lot.  Jacaranda or not, Blue flowered things are just darn cool.

Edited June 16, 2017 by Silas_Sancona

[bubba]

I appreciate the insights. I also agree that anything BLUE in the plant world is boldacious! 

[Palm crazy]

28 minutes ago, bubba said:

I appreciate the insights. I also agree that anything BLUE in the plant world is boldacious! 

Pretty much all Solanum that I have grown have been very good at reseeding, if you let them go to seed. All the species are very fast growers. Solanum avictulure, has taken over my garden in the pass.  Photo from the web. 

Edited June 17, 2017 by Palm crazy

[Hillizard]

On 6/15/2017, 11:31:06, Hillizard said:

 

 

Just a follow-up on my earlier posts on this subject. Had a nice surprise this week when I saw this late summer flower spike (below) on my Jacaranda "Bonsai Blue." This tree remains lush and shrub-sized for me so far and is now about 6 feet tall in August. It freezes back to the main trunk each winter, so I suspect it'll take years to get more height than that. 

Edited August 22, 2017 by Hillizard

[Matt N- Dallas]

I purchased a 'bonsai blue' this spring and have been impressed with it's blooms and compact growth.  Not sure how much cold it can take- it's growing in a large pot so I can protect it.  

[Hillizard]

3 hours ago, Matt N- Dallas said:

I purchased a 'bonsai blue' this spring and have been impressed with it's blooms and compact growth.  Not sure how much cold it can take- it's growing in a large pot so I can protect it.  

On 6/15/2017, 11:31:06, Hillizard said:

My city is listed as "9b" but some winters my yard location seems more like "9a" as I get significant frosts. All my Jacarandas defoliate and the branch tips burn back, but they come out rapidly by mid-spring. Just for the first year, you might move your pot up against the house as insurance, until you see how the plant does in your yard. 

 

[Palm crazy]

On August 26, 2017 7:50:24 AM, Matt N- Dallas said:

I purchased a 'bonsai blue' this spring and have been impressed with it's blooms and compact growth.  Not sure how much cold it can take- it's growing in a large pot so I can protect it.  

I’ll be putting mine in a semi warm shed for winter… it has grown so much this summer with some great ferny foliage. Should be easy to winter over for you if you can keep it from freezing. 

[Hillizard]

Here's what my Jacaranda mimosifolia ‘Sakai01’ Bonsai Blue' looks like after the relatively mild winter we had in interior NorCal. Here's some background info on this cultivar: http://www.newplantsandflowers.com/dwarf-jacaranda-talk-of-the-town/

It didn't die back to the trunk like it has in the past; and it leafed out and bloomed much faster than the regular J. mimosifolia and J. cuspidifolia I also have in-ground. For those with small yards (or a penchant for pots), I'd suggest this variety.

[Palm crazy]

Jacaranda tree is finally starting to bloom this year. 

Edited July 27, 2018 by Palm crazy

[Eric in Orlando]

I'm not sure how "dwarf" this one is going to stay at. Ours had grown to 7-8ft tall but was beaten up and blown over in Hurricane Irma last year. We cut it back and replanted/stood it up. It was slow to grow back at first but the last couple months it has started growing well again.

What ever the top is, it is grafted onto Jacaranda mimosifolia.

[Gootza]

Hi guys, would anybody know where to buy these trees in AUS? Haven’t been able to find one anywhere. Or is anybody selling seeds? 

[Sambrielle]

I am in the Phoenix AZ area zone 9b. Has anyone in the area grown one of the Blue Bonsai in a pot? It says Full Sun but PHX is more like the surface of the sun in the summer. Right now I have it on my North facing patio. It gets about 4 hours of morning sun but I just bought it. Any local info would be helpful. TIA

[RonnieG]

I just saw all the post on the dwarf Blue Bonsai.  I live in Phx, Zone 9b.  I see the person from Phx was asking about growing one in a pot.  Unfortunately I can't answer that question, however I planted two of these in the ground in September of 2020.  Both of my plants get full sun all day and they are thriving.  That says a lot for a plant in the Phx. sun.  Mine are only about 4 ft tall, so far.  I am hoping that they don't outgrow their "dwarf" description, as I really need them to remain on the dwarf side.  They are lush and beautiful, but no blooms so far.  Even if they don't bloom for awhile, I am thrilled with the foliage.