Crape myrtle
Lagerstroemia indica
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Myrtales Family: Lythraceae Genus: Lagerstroemia Linnaeus
Species
See text

Lagerstroemia (properly Crape-myrtle, although often misspelled as Crepe-myrtle) is a genus of around 50 species of deciduous and evergreen trees and shrubs native to the Indian subcontinent, southeast Asia, northern Australia and parts of Oceania. Plants are living Organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. The flowering plants or angiosperms ( Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta) are the most widespread group Magnoliopsida is the Botanical name for a class of Flowering plants By definition the class will include the family Magnoliaceae, but its The Myrtales are an order of Flowering plants placed as a basal group within the rosid group of Dicotyledons (not a member of eurosids I or eurosids II Lythraceae is a family of Flowering plants It includes 500-600 Species of mostly Herbs with some Shrubs and Trees in Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic Botany Autumn leaf color. See --> In Botany and Horticulture, deciduous Plants, including In Botany, an Evergreen plant is a plant having leaves all year round A tree is a perennial Woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or A shrub or Bush is a horticultural rather than strictly botanical category of Woody plant, distinguished from a Tree This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia For geopolitical treatments see South Asia. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. It is a member of the Lythraceae, which is also known as the Loosestrife family. Lythraceae is a family of Flowering plants It includes 500-600 Species of mostly Herbs with some Shrubs and Trees in

Contents 1 Crape-myrtle 2 Selected species 3 References 4 Notes

Crape-myrtle

While various species and cultivars are able to fill a wide variety of landscape needs, crape-myrtles are chiefly famous for their colorful and long-lasting flowers. A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also Most species of Lagerstroemia have sinewy, fluted stems and branches with a mottled appearance that arises from having bark that sheds throughout the year. Bark, also known as periderm is the outermost layer of stems and Roots of Woody plants such as Trees It overlays the Wood and consists The leaves are opposite, simple, with entire margins, and vary from 5-20 cm (2-8 in). In Botany, a leaf is an above-ground Plant organ specialized for Photosynthesis. A centimetre ( American spelling: centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one hundredth Inches redirects here To see the Les Savy Fav album see Inches. 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 multiple-trunked trees and shrubs. The leaves of temperate species provide autumn colour.

Flowers are borne in summer and autumn in panicles of crinkled flowers with a crepe-like texture. A panicle is a compound Raceme, a loose much-branched indeterminate Inflorescence with pedicellate Flowers (and Fruit Colours vary from deep purple to red to white, with almost every shade in between. Although no blue-flowered varieties exist, it is toward the blue end of the spectrum that the flowers trend, with no sight of orange or yellow except in stamens and pistils. The fruit is a capsule, green and succulent at first, then ripening to dark brown or black dryness. The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. It splits along six or seven lines, producing teeth much like those of the calyx, and releases numerous small winged seeds.

The timber of some species has been used to manufacture bridges, furniture and railway sleepers. Lumber or timber is Wood in any of its stages from felling through readiness for use as structural Material for Construction, or

Lagerstroemia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Endoclita malabaricus. A larva ( Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of Animal with indirect development, undergoing Metamorphosis (for example Lepidoptera is an order of Insect that includes Moths and butterflies. Endoclita is a genus of Moths of the family Hepialidae. There are 60 described species found in eastern and southeast Asia and the Indian

Selected species

Lagerstroemia anisoptera     Lagerstroemia balansae Lagerstroemia calyculata Lagerstroemia caudata Lagerstroemia cristata Lagerstroemia excelsa Lagerstroemia fauriei Lagerstroemia floribunda Lagerstroemia fordii Lagerstroemia glabra Lagerstroemia guilinensis Lagerstroemia indica

Lagerstroemia intermedia Lagerstroemia langkawiensis Lagerstroemia micrantha Lagerstroemia minuticarpa Lagerstroemia siamica Lagerstroemia speciosa Lagerstroemia stenopetala Lagerstroemia subcostata Lagerstroemia subsessilifolia Lagerstroemia tomentosa Lagerstroemia venusta Lagerstroemia villosa

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 Andre Michaux. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. Charleston is a city in Charleston county in the US state of South Carolina. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Botany, plant science(s, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of Biology and is the scientific study of plant Life André Michaux (8 March 1746&ndashprobably 11 October 1802 was a French botanist and Explorer.

In the wild the species is most often found as a multi-stemmed large shrub, but two hundred years of cultivation has resulted in a huge number of cultivars of widely varying characteristics. A cultivar is a cultivated Plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics it is usually distinct from similar Today it is possible to find crape-myrtles to fill every landscape need, from tidy street trees to dense barrier hedges all the way down 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 flowers). 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 (Lagerstroemia fauriei) from central and southern Japan is becoming increasingly important, both as a landscaping plant and as a parent in complex hybrids with L. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. 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. Flowers are as large as those of L. indica, but are white with only the slightest pink flush 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. "^[1]

Lagerstroemia speciosa, known as Queen Crape-myrtle, Giant Crape-myrtle or Banabá originates in subtropical and tropical India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country It can be grown in any similar climate, but in the United States is suitable only for southern Florida, southernmost Texas and California and Hawaii. It is a large evergreen tree with colorful rosy-mauve flowers and striking white bark, suitable for public parks and avenues; only the seed-grown species is commonly available for sale, unlike with L. indica and L. fauriei, which have dozens of cultivars.

In their respective climates, both sub-tropical and tropical species are common in domestic and commercial landscapes.

The genus is named after the Swedish merchant Magnus von Lagerström, who supplied Carolus Linnaeus with plants he collected. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for

References

• Lagerstroemia. Australian Plant Name Index (APNI), IBIS database. The Australian Plant Name Index ( APNI) is an online database of all published names of Australian vascular plants Centre for Plant Biodiversity Research, Australian Government.
• Flora of China: Lagerstroemia species list
• Flowers: Can Tho University
• Flora, The Gardeners' Bible, ABC Publishing, Ultimo, NSW, Australia, 2006

L. indica	Distinctive panicles of crepe textured, crinkled flowers typical ot the genus	Close-up of flowers	Close-up of bark (L. Macro photography is close-up Photography; the classical definition is that the Image projected on the "film plane" (i indica)
Close-up of ripened fruit (L. indica)	In full bloom (late-July in Maryland)

Notes

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