Between spring and summer, two colours flood the streets of Funchal: yellow and purple.
Come April, the roads and streets of the city of Funchal are covered in purple petals. Unlike with the Flower Festival, man holds no power over the shapes formed by these petals as they fall from the jacaranda trees.
These are the trees that dominate the landscape of Avenida Arriaga, lined on opposite sides of the street over an extension of two kilometres. Until the end of summer, petals dance as they fall through the air and quickly paint the ground purple.
And starting June, the canvas gains a further colour, the yellow from the petals of tipuana trees, which some might recognize as rosewood. These burning yellow flowers cluster at the top of the trees and then rain down on the streets of city, in Avenida Arriaga as well as in Avenida Zarco and other iconic spots.
The area surrounding the statue erected in honour of João Gonçalves Zarco, who discovered Madeira, is one of the best spots from where to observe the contrast created by the petals of these two trees, purple and yellow.
Planting jacaranda and tipuana trees was an idea that came about in the first half of the 20th century as part of the Urbanisation plan of Ventura Terra by architect Ventura Terra which sought to reformulate the whole town of Funchal.
The legacies that came out of this plan were not just some of the town’s most iconic buildings but also its liveliest colours. It was not by chance that purple and yellow are the colours of the petals that adorn the streets of city. These two colours are in fact the colours of Madeira’s capital city and they can be found in the flag of Funchal. Purple is a reference to wine while yellow is an homage to sugar, the gold of the 15th century.
Jacarandas come from South America and can grow up to fifteen metres tall. They can be found spread around town. Their flowers bloom between April and June.
The flowers of the tipuana trees bloom between June and August. These trees share their South American origin with the jacarandas. They can be found adorning Avenida Zarco as well as the streets Pedro José de Ornelas (Pena) and João de Deus and the municipal park.
Jacarandas and tipuanas are true symbols of summer and spring in Funchal, their bright colours captured by the lens of thousands.
