Lagerstroemia Indica
Lagerstroemia indica crape myrtle, crepe flower is a species in the genus Lagerstroemia in the family Lythraceae. Native to the Indian subcontinent, hence the name Indica, and also native to Southeast Asia, China, Korea, and Japan. Lagerstroemia indica is an often multi-stemmed, deciduous tree with a wide spreading, flat-topped, rounded, or even spike shaped open habit. Planted in full sun or under canopy, the tree is a popular nesting shrub for songbirds and wrens.
The bark is a prominent feature being smooth, pinkish-gray and mottled, shedding each year. Leaves also shed each winter, after the spectacular color display, and bare branches re-leaf early in the spring; leaves are small, smooth-edged, circular or oval-shaped, and dark green changing to yellow-orange and red in autumn. Flowers, on different trees, are white, pink, mauve, purple or carmine with crimped petals, in panicles up to 9 centimeters (3 1⁄2 in).
Lagerstroemia indica is frost tolerant, prefers full sun and will grow to 6 meters (20 ft) with a spread of 6 meters (20 ft). The plant is not picky about soil type but does require good drainage to thrive. Once established it is also quite drought hardy, though it benefits from the occasional deep watering during the summer months.
