Lagerstroemia indica
Crepe Myrtle
The Crepe Myrtle is a tree for all seasons, with long-lasting summer flowers, autumn colour and striking bark.
|
| Features: |
Long-lasting summer flowers. Attractive autumn colour. Gnarled trunks and ornate bark in older trees. |
| Applications: |
Gardens, parks, lawns, containers and urban landscapes. |
| Description |
As a widely tolerant small tree or shrub, the Crepe Myrtle is a great option for gardens, parks and urban landscapes. It rewards throughout the year with showy summer flowers ('papery' white, pink, red or crimson panicles) that last for up to three months, with various yellow, orange or scarlet autumn colour and with the decorative, peeling bark of older specimens. It thrives in warm, dry climates with long summers and fertile, well-drained sites with full sun, particularly if supported with summer irrigation, but it can adapt capably to dry conditions and coastal locations, making it well-suited to many WA situations. Many varieties exist and the form may vary - pruned to a single trunk, growing with multiple trunks and spreading branches or pollarded for greater flower display. The Crepe Myrtle responds well to pruning and doing so annually after flowering can encourage larger flowers. |
| Availability: |
Champion Lakes, Torbay : 45L |
| Mature height: |
4-8 |
| Mature spread: |
3-5 |
| Canopy: |
Oval or rounded, erect or spreading. Moderate shade. |
| Growth rate: |
Medium-Fast |
| Cautions: |
Avoid sites with poor drainage. Can be prone to mildew. |
| Tolerances: |
Moderately dry conditions and coastal locations. |
| Sun demands: |
Full sun yields best flowers but can tolerate some |
| Soil demands: |
Tolerates a wide variety of soils, acid to slightly alkaline, best in well-drained fertile soils. |
| Water demands: |
Low |
| WA Waterwise |
Visit Website |
| Native or Exotic: |
Exotic |
| Leaf habit: |
Deciduous |
| Family: |
Lythraceae |
| |
|
|
|
Back to Search
Additional references and recommended reading:
Boland, D. J. et al (2006) "Forest Trees of Australia" 5th Edition, Australia: CSIRO Publishing.
Gilman, Edward F. (1997) "Trees for Urban and Suburban Landscapes", Florida: Delmar Cengage Learning.
Lorenz von Ehren "Von Ehren Manual" 2nd Edition, Hamburg.
Rushforth, K. (2001) "Easy Tree Guide, Britain and Europe", London: Aurum Press.
Urban Forests Ecosystems Institute, "SelecTree - A Tree Selection Guide" retrieved from http://selectree.calpoly.edu/treelist.lasso 2009.
Disclaimer:
Torbay Treefarmers makes all information on this website available in good faith to customers, based on experience, general knowledge and research and in so doing, makes no guarantee in any way about the accuracy or usefulness of this information, nor is any warranty made or inferred by the supply of this information, nor can Torbay Treefarmers be held responsible or accountable for any loss, harm or damage that may arise from the use or availability of any information on this website.
|
