| Both are beautiful trees, of course. Jacaranda is the more beautiful in bloom. Poinciana leaflets are smaller. Jacaranda leaf has an end leaflet which is larger than the other leaflets - a telltale difference. I found the following from "Some beautiful Indian Trees" by B.Blatter and W.S. Millard, 1937 Jacaranda leaves: Leaves are alternate or almost opposite, each with 9 to 16 pairs of pinnae, each pinnae having 14 to 24 pairs of leaflets; leaflets oblong-rhomboid, 1/5 to 1/3 in long, the end one larger. Poinciana (aka Gul Mohur) leaves: The leaves may attain a length of 2 ft. The leaf is composed of from 11 to 18 pinnae or minor leaves arranged in pairs along the mid-rib. The pinnae bear from 20 to 30 pairs of small oblong leaflets, each measuring 1/3 to 2/5 by 1/10 to 1/6 in. See if the following picture helps you at all: http://www.medamana.org/public/kerala/flora1/51.html Slide 82 in the same slideshow has a picture of a Poinciana tree, but not a closeup. John | 
