Jacarandas are flowering earlier than usual in parts of South Africa Posted on 8 July 2021 Tags:jacaranda Every year around late September to early November, the Gauteng province turns purple with jacarandas. However, jacarandas seem to have bloomed rather earlier than usual this year. The jacaranda is not a native African tree and it is believed to have arrived in Gauteng during the 1800s. The jacaranda became so popular that they were planted specifically as ornamentals to line the streets of suburbs and central business districts in Johannesburg and Pretoria. Jacarandas did not always bloom in September. During the 1920s and 1930s, these trees used to bloom in mid-November, and then gradually over the decades advanced to blooming in October and then eventually September. This shift of the blooming season is known as a phenological shift that results from climate change. The change in the timing of jacaranda blossom has been studied and a paper has been published in the Journal of Forestry and Urban Greening. The study proves that phenological shifts are species and location-specific, and to contribute to the global attempts at recording phenological shifts, they compiled a list of flowering dates of jacaranda trees spanning from 1927-2019. The records confirmed the advance in flowering dates of which a mean rate of 2.1 days per decade was quantified. The strongest climatic driver of the phenological advance of jacaranda blossoms in the Gauteng region was found to be daily maximum temperatures during the month of June. This means that by the time spring comes around, day-to-day temperature and rainfall will have less impact on when the trees flower. The Conversation emphasised that phenological shifts represent an adaptation strategy for the plants. As the temperature continues to rise, a more general risk of heat stress to the tree is heightened. This simply means that the years of purple spring seasons in Gauteng are limited. Take a look at the spectacular jacarandas from previous years: Jacaranda season is upon us ALSO READ: Spectacular white jacaranda trees grace Gauteng PICTURE: Flickr Related Posts Cape Town’s sustainability: Leading the way in environmental initiatives 1 June 2023 As National Environmental Month commences in South Africa, Cape Town stands proudly at the forefront... read more Kapama to host Safari Guide of the Year Awards 2023 1 June 2023 Kapama Private Game Reserve near Hoedspruit will host this year’s Safari Guide of the Year... read more Blood Lions relaunches for public viewing on YouTube 1 June 2023 Award-winning documentary feature film Blood Lions has been relaunched on YouTube for public viewing, creating... read more PREV ARTICLE NEXT ARTICLE
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