page_title: Jacaranda, University of Sydney
section_title: Planting
hierarchical_section_title: Jacaranda, University of Sydney / Original tree / Planting
caption_attribution_description: English: According to long-passed down legends at the University of Sydney, “by the time the jacaranda in the Main Quadrangle flowers, it’s too late to start studying for exams”. Generations of undergraduates have feared the Jacaranda's lilac flowers of doom! This jacaranda tree was planted in the south-west wing of the Main Quadrangle as part of work prompted by the Royal Visit of the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) in 1927. Students pulled out the first few trees Professor E.G. Waterhouse planted as a prank, until he planted one that was too large to be pulled out. Rooted in history, the tree has now grown to over a staggering 18 metres wide and is much beloved by students of the university and Sydneysiders alike. Founded in 1850, the University of Sydney is Australia's first university and is regarded as one of its most prestigious, ranked as the 24th most reputable university in the world. In 2014, it was ranked 37th and in the top 0.3% in the QS World University Rankings. Seven Nobel or Crafoord laureates have been affiliated with the university as graduates and faculty. The University is colloquially known as one of Australia's "Sandstones", a status similar to that of the "Ivy League" in the United States and the "Russell Group" in the United Kingdom. The university's Coat of Arms, granted by the College of Arms are an amalgamation of the arms of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, and their important figures, heraldry and other references to the two ancient universities are sprawled throughout the university in its architecture and character. Its motto, "Sidere mens eadem mutato" translated literally gives "Though the stars change, the mind is the same", but has been more liberally translated to give, "Sydney University is really just Oxford or Cambridge laterally displaced approximately 12,000 miles". The 2013 QS World University Rankings placed Sydney in the top 20 in the world in 11 subjects; more than a third of the 30 measured. The University of Sydney was ranked 8th in the world for Education, 9th in Accounting and Finance and 10th in Law. Additionally, Sydney was placed 12th in English Language and Literature, History and Archaeology, Linguistics and Civil Engineering and Structural Engineering, the highest in Australia of those subjects. Psychology at Sydney was ranked 14th, Pharmacy and Pharmacology, and Communication and Media were ranked 16th, and the Sydney Medical School was ranked 17th. Its main campus has been ranked in the top 10 of the world's most beautiful universities by the British Daily Telegraph, The Huffington Post and Disney Pixar, among others such as Oxford and Cambridge and is spread across the inner-city suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington. The Main Quadrangle's Great Tower houses the largest and oldest of Australia's two carillons, a performance may be viewed here: youtu.be/6xLslgpOVho
context_page_description: The jacaranda was a historically significant specimen of Jacaranda mimosifolia tree that stood in the south-eastern corner of the University of Sydney 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's Significant Tree Register. On 28 October 2016 the old tree died and fell over, aged c. 77–c. 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.
context_section_description: 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 and also a camellia expert. His interest in horticulture and landscaping 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 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, 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 grew to a width of 18 metres (59 ft), becoming both "grand" and "iconic".
caption: In November 2014
exif: {"Image PhotometricInterpretation": "2", "Image Make": "NIKON CORPORATION", "Image Model": "NIKON D810", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "300", "Image YResolution": "300", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Aperture 3.6", "Image DateTime": "2014:11:04 15:35:44", "Image ExifOffset": "214", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/80", "EXIF FNumber": "11", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "64", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2014:11:04 15:35:44", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2014:11:04 15:35:44", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MaxApertureValue": "3", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF LightSource": "Unknown", "EXIF Flash": "Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "14", "EXIF SubSecTime": "42", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "42", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "42", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "7360", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "4912", "EXIF SensingMethod": "One-chip color area", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF DigitalZoomRatio": "1", "EXIF FocalLengthIn35mmFilm": "14", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard", "EXIF Contrast": "Normal", "EXIF Saturation": "Normal", "EXIF Sharpness": "Normal", "EXIF SubjectDistanceRange": "0"}