As purple as a Jacaranda

If you have never seen a Jacaranda tree, they range in size from 6.6 to 98 feet tall, with deep green leaves and Springtime multi-lobed flowers with purplish-blue petals.
I did not know that there are 49 species of Jacaranda tree, but apparently there are. Pretoria, South Africa’s administrative capital and about a half-hour drive from Johannesburg, is popularly known as the Jacaranda City due to the sheer number of trees that grow there.
They are majestic, mauve giants that line the avenues and their canopies arch overhead and meet in the middle of the road, high up in the air. Not only does it form a spectacular canopy, but when the blossoms drop, it creates a purple carpet below.
A friend just reminded me how, when one drives over the road carpet, the petals make a pop-pop-popping sound and the fragrance of the blossoms wafts up! Evocative memories.