Bright, blue flowers of Jacaranda trees hovering over the green carpet of tea plantations are drawing visitors in good numbers to Munnar. Popularly known as Neelavaka, the flowers can be seen in Munnar, Chinnakanal, Thalayar, Pallivasal and Lakkam. People halt to take pictures of the flowers along the Munnar- Utumalpet interstate highway. Along the highway, Jacaranda trees can be seen on both sides of the road from Lakkam. It can be found along the road at a distance of about two kilometers from Lakkam. Jacaranda trees can be seen at the foot of Umiyamala rock in Vaguvarai village which is 18 km from Munnar.
For the residents and the visitors, the flowering season of Jacarandas is a beautiful sight even in hot summer. Antony Muniyara, a visitor said that this year the trees are in full bloom. The flowering season of Jacaranda is from February to April. Jacaranda tree saplings were planted by officials who were employed in the tea gardens of Munnar during the British era. They came here as a part of colonization and planted Jacaranda tree saplings along the roadsides and in the mountains. Jacaranda trees grow up to a height of about 8 to 15 meters. The speciality of this tree is that the flowers remain on the tree for a long time without falling off.
