Hacker News Reader

They are so ubiquitous here I've had conversations with multiple people who think they are native. Apparently, seedlings were given to new parents from a maternity hospital in southern Sydney back in the day which helped their spread.

Sadly, their reputation seems to overshadow the native Illawarra Flame Tree (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brachychiton_acerifolius) which itself is showing off vibrantly right now. I'm lucky enough to have a few in my street.

View on HN

Jacarandas were brought from South America. Reputedly the first Jacaranda tree grown in Australia is/was in the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens.

I had a quick look and it seems that the Brisbane claim is contentious (like these things often are), according to Australian Geographic:

Brisbane claims the earliest jacaranda tree in Australia, planted in 1864, but the Sydney Botanic Garden jacaranda is dated at “around” 1850, and jacarandas were listed for sale in Sydney in 1861.

Either way they've been here quite a while, and longer than many family lines that consider themselves Australian. The midwife story I mentioned is also contentious because there are a few myths going around about North Sydney in particular, but I think the one from Sutherland had some facts backing it up, including a man who remembered gathering them as a child.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com