University community mourns jacaranda tree collapse
We are saddened to advise the University community that the beloved jacaranda tree which has thrived in its Main Quadrangle since 1928 collapsed last night.
For many years our students have lived by the folklore that any undergraduate who fails to study before the tree's first bloom appears will fail their exams.
The tree has also been the backdrop for thousands of graduation and wedding photos over its 88 year lifetime.
In 2014 the University advised that the jacaranda was nearing the end of its natural life and hired a specialist jacaranda grower to take cuttings. Grafted onto the base of other jacarandas, the cuttings have produced two clones. This means that the University will be able to replace the jacaranda with genetically identical stock.
Students are reminded that the current tree had begun to bloom and we wish them all well for their final weeks of study for 2016.
