How to Grow and Care for Crape myrtles

Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is a highly ornamental small tropical tree or shrub, often multi-stemmed. It is native to India, Southeastern Asia, and Japan, and features a characteristic vase-shaped crown and beautifully-ruffled pink blooms that can last from early summer to autumn. It is also a popular nesting shrub for small birds.

Pride of India (*Lagerstroemia speciosa*) is a small to medium-sized tree that can grow up to 20 m tall with smooth, flaky bark. Pride of India is native to tropical southern Asia. This species is also known as the giant crepe-myrtle, Queen's crepe-myrtle, and the banana plant.

Lagerstroemia indica f. alba has pure white flowers, contrasting with the varied shades exhibited by its parent tree. This attractive ornamental hybrid offers several seasons of interest, producing brightly colored fall foliage in addition to its striking flowers. Songbirds commonly nest in the branches of this tree.

Crape myrtles are chiefly known for their colorful and long-lasting flowers which occur in summer. Most species of Lagerstroemia have sinewy, fluted 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 5–20 cm (2–8 in). While all species are woody in nature, they can range in height from over 30 m (100 ft) to under 30 cm (1 ft); most, however, are small to medium multiple-trunked trees and shrubs. The leaves of temperate species provide autumn color. Flowers are borne in summer and autumn in panicles of crinkled flowers with a crêpe-like texture. Colors vary from deep purple to red to white, with almost every shade in between. Although no blue-flowered varieties exist, the flowers 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 first, then ripening to dark brown or black dryness. It splits along six or seven lines, producing teeth much like those of the calyx, and releases numerous, small, winged seeds. In their respective climates, both subtropical and tropical species are common in domestic and commercial landscapes. The timber of some species has been used to manufacture bridges, furniture, and railway sleepers, but in Vietnam's Cát Tiên National Park, the dominant stands of Lagerstroemia calyculata in secondary forest are thought to have survived (after episodes of logging) due to the low quality of wood. Lagerstroemia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (moth and butterfly) species including Endoclita malabaricus. The leaves of L. parviflora are fed on by the Antheraea paphia moth which produces the tassar silk, a form of wild silk of commercial importance in India.

Taiwan Crepe Myrtle is a small tree or a large shrub and one of the few deciduous trees growing in the evergreen forest belt in Taiwan. It is often cultivated for its ornamental features, primarily its flaking, grayish bark that leaves reddish patches. In summer, the tree produces delicate flowers that emit a subtle fragrance.