Albizia julibrissin, SILK TREE.

Joe

Probably Jacaranda.

bboy may be correct.

But I'm thinking that Jacaranda has proportionately larger leaflets that are more angular than those on Albizia.

Yet the structure of this young tree does look more Jacaranda-like.

Joe

Hmm, I didn't even think it was a Jacaranda because it wasn't in bloom. The other jacarandas in the neighborhood are exploding with purple and this guy is not. Thanks for the feedback.

Its a mimosa tree.

Jay

It is a Jacaranda, the newly-growing stems are flat, which gives it away as a jacaranda. Sometimes they take a couple of years to begin blooming. Also, there is a redish/bronze tinge to the new growth, which is also a characteristic of the Jacaranda.

My two cents:

I don't know Jacaranda, so I can't confirm or refute. However, I can say that an Albizia of this size, in San Diego, should be in bloom right now (they bloom at a young age, in my experience), so I'm inclined to believe it's not Albizia. Also, there's something vague (which I can't quite describe) in the branching habit and the pattern of the petioles that seems un-Albizia-like to me.

Please note, though, that Albizia can also exhibit reddish/bronze new growth.

It's a mimosa, we have lots of them in the South, take my word for it. It has beautiful blooms

My vote is Jacaranda, primarily because this tree looks to have
recently leafed out. A Mimosa as others have said would have
bloomed by now. Jacarandas can be quite tardy leafing out.

HTH
Chris

Oh man, looks like we have some difference of opinion here. What kind of pictures can I supply to help get to a definite answer? Super close up of the leavers? Bark? Stems?

Thanks for all the input.

There are hundreds of Albizias around here and none of them are in bloom, so I don't think that would be a giveaway.

Here's a non-botanical hint, though -- in looking at the other "tropicalia" in that landscape setting, I would think the owner or landscaper would keep the theme uniform with a Jacaranda.

Joe

I do agree with your "non-botanical" hint of a Jacaranda not meshing with the landscape in this picture, however, to the right of this picture I have a large Norfolk pine, and to the left I have a Japaneses maple. So I don't doubt a Jacaranda could have been thrown in the mix.

Wrong branch and leaf structure for Albizia julibrissin.

The leaves are all close to the ends of the branches (on the top pic.) Young Mimosa has leaves all the way up the stem. At least on the one I am looking at right now (out my window.) Also, on the second pic, the leaves are opposite. On my Mimosa, the leaves are alternate. I think I can rule out Mimosa. What it is, I don't know.

Also, my Mimosa has prominent lenticels on the stems, including the trnuk (it's a young weed tree.) I don't see any lenticels on you 2nd pic. It could be that the picture is a little blurry, but I still think they would show a little since they are prominent.

Here is a super close up of a small branch I took off the tree. Does this help in the identification?

{{gwi:252210}}

The photo of the leaf/leaves confirms that it is indeed a jacaranda. Mimosa leaflets are very evenly and uniformly spaced, while jacaranda leaflets grow randomly along the stem. Also, Mimosa leaflets are more rounded while Jacaranda leaflets are pointed. Here is a photo i just took of a small branch from my own jacaranda for you to compare. Click on the photo for a larger version.

{{gwi:252202}}

By the way, the norfolk pine is very frost sensitive so although it might not look tropical, it can only grow to its full potential in warm climates. I would say zone 10 and above. There a several being grown here in z9b in central, inland CA and although they are alive and growing, they don't compare to those in SoCal and other warm regions.

Just curious. Mimosa ( Albizia) has leaflets that close at night. Does Jacaranda have that same trait?

Carol23, as far as i know, the jacaranda doesn't fold up at night. Now that you said that, that could be a good indicator of being or not being a mimosa. Here is a night shot my one year old jacaranda and the leaflets remain open.

{{gwi:252216}}

I just noticed you also have a caryota urens (the one with the lime green fronds behind the jacaranda). It will become HUGE in no time. I'm still waiting on my own seedling to be of a noticeable size.

Lastly, compare your tree's new growth with this one. This is a photo of my own jacaranda.

{{gwi:252220}}

Thanks for all the great input on this one central_cali. Looks like I have a jacaranda. Maybe next season it will bloom.

And yes, my fishtail palm is getting huge as we speak. The sucker keeps wanting to spread out and take the place over.