Bernieh's Garden
Lagerstroemia speciosa - Crepe Myrtle
Genus: Lagerstroemia.
Species: Lagerstroemia speciosa.
Common name: Crepe Myrtle or Queen's Myrtle
Botanic name: Lagerstroemia speciosa
Family: Lythraceae
Description: A deciduous, vase-shaped tree about 6-8m (18-25') tall. It is often severely pruned and grown as a shrub 3-4m (10-12') tall.
Trusses of white, pink, mauve or purple blooms appear in late summer. The petals are ruffled, with a crepe-like texture. In autumn the mid-green leaves turn yellow, orange or red (depending on the variety) before falling.
Unpruned crepe myrtles develop beautifully coloured, smooth, mottled trunks. There is an Australian native crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia archeriana), which grows to around 7m (20') tall and has pinkish mauve flowers.
