Lagerstroemia

For other plants called myrtle, see Myrtle.

(moth and buttery) species including Endoclita malabaricus.

Lagerstroemia /lerstrimi/,* [1] commonly known The leaves of L. parviora are fed on by the Antheraea
as crape myrtle or crepe myrtle, is a genus of around paphia moth which produces the tassar silk (tussah), a
50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs form of wild silk of commercial importance in India.* [4]
native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Australia and parts of Oceania, cultivated in warmer
climates around the world. It is a member of the family
Lythraceae, which are also known as the loosestrife family. The genus is named after the Swedish merchant Magnus von Lagerstrm, who supplied Carl Linnaeus with
plants he collected. These owering trees are beautifully
colored and are often planted both privately and commercially as ornamentals.

Description

Crape myrtles are chiey known for their colorful and

long-lasting owers which occur in summer months.
Most species of Lagerstroemia have sinewy, uted stems
and branches with a mottled appearance that arises from
having bark that sheds throughout the year. The leaves are
opposite and simple, with entire margins, and vary from
520 cm (28 in). While all species are woody in nature, they can range in height from over 100 feet to under
one foot; most, however, are small to medium multipletrunked trees and shrubs. The leaves of temperate species
provide autumn color.
Flowers are borne in summer and autumn in panicles of
crinkled owers with a crepe-like texture. Colors vary
from deep purple to red to white, with almost every shade
in between. Although no blue-owered varieties exist, the L. microcarpa leaves
owers trend toward the blue end of the spectrum with no
orange or yellow except in stamens and pistils. The fruit
is a capsule, green and succulent at rst, then ripening to
dark brown or black dryness. It splits along six or seven 2 Landscaping and gardening
lines, producing teeth much like those of the calyx, and
Certain species of crepe myrtle are used in landscaping
releases numerous, small, winged seeds.
and gardening as screens, lawn specimens, shrub borders,
In their respective climates, both subtropical and tropical
and container plants.
species are common in domestic and commercial landscapes. The timber of some species has been used to
manufacture bridges, furniture, and railway sleepers,* [2]
but in Vietnam's Cat Tien National Park, the dominant 3 Selected species
stands of Lagerstroemia calyculata in secondary forest are
thought to have survived (after episodes of logging) due
Lagerstroemia anhuiensis X.H. Guo & S.B. Zhou
to the low quality of wood.* [3] Lagerstroemia species are
used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera
Lagerstroemia anisontera
1

3 SELECTED SPECIES
Lagerstroemia ovalifolia Teijsm. & Binn.
Lagerstroemia paniculata (Turcz.) S. Vidal
Lagerstoemia parviora
Lagerstroemia siamica
Lagerstroemia speciosa
Lagerstroemia stenopetala
Lagerstroemia subcostata
Lagerstroemia subsessilifolia
Lagerstroemia suprareticulata S.K. Lee & L.F. Lau
Lagerstroemia tomentosa
Lagerstroemia turbinata Koehne
Lagerstroemia venusta
Lagerstroemia villosa

L. indica ower and ower buds

Lagerstroemia anisoptera
Lagerstroemia balansae
Lagerstroemia calyculata
Lagerstroemia caudata
Lagerstroemia cristata
Lagerstroemia excelsa

A 12-ft (4-m) crape myrtle in Lutherville, Maryland

Lagerstroemia fauriei
Lagerstroemia oribunda
Lagerstroemia fordii
Lagerstroemia glabra
Lagerstroemia guilinensis
Lagerstroemia indica
Lagerstroemia intermedia
Lagerstroemia langkawiensis
Lagerstroemia limii Merr.
Lagerstroemia loudonii
Lagerstroemia micrantha
Lagerstroemia minuticarpa
Lagerstroemia microcarpa

The common crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)

from China and Korea was introduced circa 1790 to
Charleston, South Carolina, in the United States by the
French botanist Andr Michaux. In the wild, the species
is most often found as a multistemmed large shrub, but
200 years of cultivation have resulted in a huge number of
cultivars of widely varying characteristics. Today, crape
myrtle varieties can ll every landscape need, from tidy
street trees to dense barrier hedges to fast-growing dwarf
types of less than two feet, which can go from seed to
bloom in a season (allowing gardeners in places where the
plant is not winter-hardy to still enjoy the intense colors
of the frilly owers). In Europe, crape myrtle is common
in the south of France, the Iberian Peninsula and all of
Italy; in the United States, it can be seen anywhere south
of USDA zone 6, doing best and avoiding fungal diseases
in mild climates that are not overly humid, such as inland
California and Texas.
While not as widely known, the Japanese crape myrtle,
L. fauriei, from central and southern Japan is becoming

3
increasingly important, both as a landscaping plant and as
a parent in complex hybrids with L. indica. This species is
distinctly tree-like, with colorful deciduous bark and dark
green leaves which are more resistant to fungal diseases
than are those of its more popular relative. The Japanese
name for this tree is saru suberi (, literally
monkey slip, latter spelling ateji) which refers to the
smooth, slippery bark. Flowers are as large as those of
L. indica, but are white with only the slightest pink ush
appearing in some individuals. Japanese crape myrtle is
hardier to cold than many strains of L. indica, a characteristic (along with fungal resistance, tree form and colorful
bark) that makes it valuable as genetic material for hybridization. Cultivars available include 'Kiowa', 'Fantasy'
and 'Townhouse'.* [5]
L. speciosa, known as queen crape myrtle, giant crape
myrtle, or banab, originates in subtropical and tropical
India. It can be grown in any similar climate, but in the
United States is suitable only for southern Florida, southernmost Texas, southern California, and Hawaii. It is a
large evergreen tree with colorful rosy-mauve owers and
striking white bark, suitable for public parks and avenues;
only the seed-grown species is commonly available for
sale, unlike L. indica and L. fauriei, which have dozens
of cultivars.

Notes

[1] Sunset Western Garden Book, 1995:606607

[2] Woodworkers Source: Pyinma.
[3] Blanc L, Maury-Lechon G, Pascal J-P (2000) Structure, oristic composition and natural regeneration in the
forests of Cat Tien National Park, Vietnam: an analysis
of the successional trends. Journal of Biogeography, 27:
141157.
[4] Non-wood forest products In 15 countries of Tropical
Asia. fao.org. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
[5] Trees: Lagerstroemia fauriei. www.ces.ncsu.edu. Retrieved 2008-01-07.

References
Lagerstroemia. Australian Plant Name Index
(APNI), IBIS database. Centre for Plant Biodiversity
Research, Australian Government.
Flora of China: Lagerstroemia species list
Flora, The Gardeners' Bible, ABC Publishing, Ultimo, NSW, Australia, 2006

6 External links
"Lagerstromia". Collier's New Encyclopedia. 1921.

7 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

7.1

Text

Lagerstroemia Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lagerstroemia?oldid=677226188 Contributors: PierreAbbat, Starfarmer, Stan

Shebs, Darkwind, Maximus Rex, Pollinator, Fredrik, MPF, Fanghong~enwiki, DanielCD, Elwikipedista~enwiki, Sten, Blue Kitsune,
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Nbarth, Colonies Chris, Kahuroa, MrDarwin, SMasters, Ginkgo100, Tawkerbot2, Khatru2, Strongbad1982, asil, Daven200520, Casliber,
Thijs!bot, Eric.frederich, WinBot, Nipisiquit, John Moss, Deective, Nthep, Daemonic Kangaroo, Ziggymarley01, Jefe2000, UnicornTapestry, JGHowes, Dogsgomoo, Njbob, Penarc, Falcon8765, Vinayaraj, HelloMojo, SieBot, BillShurts, ClueBot, The Thing That Should
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