Jacaranda trees burst into colour

JACARANDA trees are native to South America and first came to Pretoria in 1888. In Celliers Street is a plaque commemorating the first two jacarandas planted in the city by JD Celliers in 1888. The saplings were imported from Brazil and, although native to Central and South America, have become part of the city’s culture.

Popular radio station Jacaranda FM is named after the trees, and Pretoria is referred to as the Jacaranda City.

A travelling nurseryman called Tempelman sold two jacaranda seedlings to Jacob Daniël (Japie) Celliers, who lived at Myrtle Lodge, 146 Celliers Street, Sunnyside.

In 1939, these trees were fenced in as a protection measure. A plaque was placed at the site to commemorate the event. This was unveiled by the then-mayor of Pretoria, Ben Swart, on November 8, 1939.

This indicates jacaranda trees were seen as important to the city. It is said many of the jacarandas in the city originated from these two “parent trees”.

In 1898, Celliers secured a concession from the government to plant trees in Groenkloof. He ordered the seeds, which included jacaranda seeds, through a Pretoria businessman, James D Clark.

Clark also donated 200 jacaranda trees for the 51st anniversary of the founding of Pretoria on November 16, 1906. This was the start of planting of jacaranda trees along the city streets.

The first were along Koch Street (now Bosman Street) and in Arcadia Park. They were mostly planted by schoolchildren. The two trees on the corner of Koch and Boom Street were planted by the mayor, JJ Kirkness, and his wife. Many of these trees died, but Clark had them replaced.

For his contribution, Clark was nicknamed “Jacaranda Jim”. He came to Pretoria from Grahamstown in 1879 and started a business as florist, nurseryman and seedsman in Church Street.

He died in January 1956 at age 92 and is buried under a jacaranda tree in Heroes’ Acre in Pretoria. “Jacaranda Jim” is inscribed on his headstone.

There was, however, a second person with this nickname: Frank Walter Jameson. He is the person most famous for his contribution to planting jacaranda trees in Pretoria and received the name “Jacaranda Jim”.

He was not only the person responsible for planting the most jacaranda trees in Pretoria, but also planted them in Kimberley and Nairobi.

Jameson planted 65km of jacarandas in the city in 1911. At this time, the city council even donated two jacaranda trees to all residents, who allowed them to remove large trees with roots that became a threat to the sewage system in the town.

When he left Pretoria, 6 000 jacarandas had been planted. The policy of the city council to plant jacarandas, however, remained, and encouraged by Jameson, the numbers had risen to 17 000 by 1939. In 1957 this number had increased to 25 000.

Jameson, who lived at Ellensgate in Arcadia, died in February 1956 and was buried in the Rebecca Street Cemetery in Pretoria West, which has a large number of jacaranda trees.

Although Jameson wished to be buried under a jacaranda, his grave is underneath a stinkwood tree.

Today, it is estimated that the city is host to about 37 000 of these trees along its streets. It is also estimated that the figure may be as high as 65 000, but that would include trees in the outlying areas of the city.

The jacaranda, when in bloom, is also known as the exam tree. The time of year the jacarandas bloom in Pretoria coincides with the year-end exams at the University of Pretoria, and legend has it there that if a flower from a jacaranda drops on a student’s head, the student will pass all their exams.

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