Scientific name: jacaranda mimosifolia

The jacaranda is a tree originally from Mexico. It is deciduous, and is covered in purple flowers in spring. They survive well in areas with long, hot summers. Jacarandas are frost sensitive when they are young, but frost hardy when they are older.

Photo by BLMurch

Jack Russells are small dogs that are mainly white, with patches of brown or black. They might have smooth or rough coats. They were originally bred for hunting foxes. They are intelligent, energetic, fearless and vocal. If they are left alone or not exercised enough, they can get bored and destructive. They do not make good indoor dogs.

Photo by Elsie esq.

A jackal is a small to medium sized relative of the dog. They are found in Africa, Asia and some parts of Europe. Jackals normally live together in pairs, although they will sometimes form small packs to hunt. They hunt small to medium animals, and will eat dead animals they find. Like household dogs they will also eat fruit and other plants as well as meat.

Photo by Derek Keats

A jacket is a piece of clothing you usually wear over other clothes. The little girl in the picture is wearing a blue patterned jacket with red cuffs.

Photo by Spenatmamman

Jade is a green, ornamental stone that has been used to carve decorative items from for thousands of years. It is particularly popular among Chinese artisans.

Jade is largely made up of iron, calcium and magnesium. The more iron, the brighter the shade of green.

Photo by Harry Alverson

The jaguar is the third largest cat, after the tiger and lion. Jaguars look most similar to the leopard but behave most like tigers.

Photo by Richard Broderick

Jam is a way of preserving fruit. Jam is made from fruit cooked with sugar and then sealed into a jar. Strawberry jam, as shown in the picture, is one of the most popular flavours. Jam that is made from citrus fruits like oranges and lemons is called marmalade.

In some countries, clear jam without any bits of fruit left in it is called jelly.

Photo by James Cridland

A jar is a small container with a lid you can keep things in. Today most jars are made of glass or plastic with a metal or plastic screw-top lid. A long time ago jars used to be made from ceramic or glass, and had lids made out of cork, rubber, cloth tied with string, or glass held on with metal clips and a rubber seal.

Photo by Lawrence in Houston

Jasper is an opaque silicate that can be virtually any colour. It is often used for making jewellery. Some colours are more valuable than others - the jasper in the picture is red jasper.

Photo by CreAtions2007

You are jealous when you have negative thoughts about something being taken away from you. For example, you can be jealous if you think you are going to lose someone you love, or you think someone is getting more attention and will be promted before you at work.

The girl in the picture is jealous the other girls will get the best pieces of cake before she does.

Photo by Boris Veldhuijzen van Zanten