Jacaranda (University of Sydney)
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The jacaranda was a historically significant specimen of ''
Jacaranda mimosifolia ''Jacaranda mimosifolia'' is a sub-tropical tree native to south-central South America that has been widely planted elsewhere because of its attractive and long-lasting violet-colored flowers. It is also known as the jacaranda, blue jacaranda, ...
'' tree that stood in the south-eastern corner of the
University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...
main quadrangle, and now describes its clone replanted in the same location. The first planting was in 1928 by Associate Professor Eben Gowrie Waterhouse, and replaced several times in the 1930s. Blooming in late spring at the end of the academic year, it became closely associated with examination time at the university. It has formed the background to many events, and the original tree was on the
City of Sydney The City of Sydney is the local government area covering the Sydney central business district and surrounding inner city suburbs of the greater metropolitan area of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Established by Act of Parliament in 1842, th ...
's Significant Tree Register. On 28 October 2016 the old tree died and fell over, aged approximately 77–85 years. On 20 July 2017 the university announced the replacement of the jacaranda with a genetically identical clone, and a native Illawarra flame tree in the opposite corner.


Original tree


Planting

The tree was located in the corner of the quadrangle close to where Philosophy classes used to be held. It was planted by Eben Gowrie Waterhouse, who was McCaughey associate professor of German and
comparative literature Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the study of literature and cultural expression across linguistic, national, geographic, and disciplinary boundaries. Comparative literature "performs a role similar to that of the study ...
and also a
camellia ''Camellia'' (pronounced or ) is a genus of flowering plants in the family Theaceae. They are found in eastern and southern Asia, from the Himalayas east to Japan and Indonesia. There are more than 220 described species, with some controv ...
expert. His interest in
horticulture Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
and
landscape design Landscape design is an independent profession and a design and art tradition, practiced by landscape designers, combining nature and culture. In contemporary practice, landscape design bridges the space between landscape architecture and gard ...
influenced the design of the gardens at the university. He is credited with turning the main quadrangle where the jacaranda grew "from an unsightly mess into a dignified area". Waterhouse continued to be engaged for many years on beautification schemes involving tree planting for the university, in the city beyond the university, as well as in other cities beyond Sydney. In an address given in
Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...
in 1936, Waterhouse said that "beautification of urban and suburban areas ranked among the finest forms of community service" and that in tree planting, the preservation of trees and the creative work were both important. In 1966 he received a gold medal from the
Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr (Nor ...
, London. Stories about the difficulty of establishing the tree circulated for many years. Students were blamed for several failed efforts after young trees were ripped out and frustrated Committee members passed "motions deploring the actions of 'irresponsible vandals'". Vandalism concerning the jacaranda was included in newspaper reports as late as 1939. An alternative view is that staff stole young trees for their own gardens. Eventually, the planting succeeded and over its life, the jacaranda's
canopy Canopy may refer to: Plants * Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests) * Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes Religion and ceremonies * Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an ...
grew to a width of , becoming both "grand" and "iconic".


Life

Sydney University's jacaranda formed the backdrop to many public and private events that took place in the quadrangle, including graduations and weddings. In the opinion of Mark Scott, it was "the most famous tree in education". The university's landscape and grounds manager said "I don't think the quadrangle would be the space it is without that tree." The tree was well-loved in spite of its association with the examination period in November when jacarandas all over Sydney come into flower. Accepted wisdom was that exam failure was inevitable for a student who had not yet begun to study by the time its purple blooms appeared. In 2005 the jacaranda was added to the list of historic or environmentally significant trees in the City of Sydney as "one of Sydney's best known significant trees". It was known as "a living asset". In 2012, the city's chief
arborist An arborist, tree surgeon, or (less commonly) arboriculturist, is a professional in the practice of arboriculture, which is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants in dend ...
placed it in the Register's Top 10. The trees on the Register are selected on the basis of their "historical, cultural, social, ecological or outstanding visual and aesthetic appeal". Other varieties of tree on the Register near to the university include Moreton Bay figs in Alexandria Park,
Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...
and Observatory Hill;
Brush box ''Lophostemon confertus'' (syn. ''Tristania conferta''), is an evergreen tree native to Australia, though it is cultivated in the United States and elsewhere. Common names include brush box, Queensland box, Brisbane box, pink box, box scrub, a ...
trees in Avenue Road,
Glebe Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...
; Washington palms in Farrer Place, Sydney;
Plane trees ''Platanus'' is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae. All mature members of ''Platanus'' are tall, reaching in height. All except f ...
on Bourke Street,
Surry Hills Surry Hills is an inner-city suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Surry Hills is immediately south-east of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Sydney. Surry Hills is surround ...
; and Dragon's blood trees in Cook and Phillip Park.


Death

In 2016 the tree died aged approximately 77–85 years, possibly of ganoderma fungus, and fell over on 28 October. It was cut up and removed the following day. The university issued a press release reminding students that the tree had begun to bloom and wished "them all well for their final weeks of study for 2016".


Current tree


Preparations

The university had been advised in 2014 that the original tree was nearing the end of its life. Aware of its significance, the university administration had taken cuttings and maintained three "emergency" specimens. The resulting clones would subsequently enable it to be replaced with genetically identical stock.


Planting

In July 2017 the cloned tree was replanted; the tree is a
graft Graft or grafting may refer to: *Graft (politics), a form of political corruption * Graft, Netherlands, a village in the municipality of Graft-De Rijp Science and technology *Graft (surgery), a surgical procedure *Grafting, the joining of plant t ...
from the old tree on a jacaranda rootstock. The replacement tree thrived and in the flowering season of 2019, it was blooming. The university also planted a native flame tree alongside the replacement jacaranda in recognition of the Gadigal people on whose traditional lands the university is located.


See also

* List of individual trees * Bland Oak, a historical tree in western Sydney


References


External links

* * {{University of Sydney 2010s individual tree deaths Individual trees in New South Wales Jacaranda University of Sydney