Crape Myrtle Trees
Lagerstroemia, commonly known as the Crape Myrtle or the Crepe Myrtle Tree, 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, and are cultivated in warmer climates around the world. The genus is named after the Swedish merchant Magnus von Lagerström, who supplied Carolus Linnaeus with plants he collected.
In their respective climates, both sub-tropical and tropical species of the Crepe Myrtle are common in domestic and commercial landscapes. The timber of some species has been used to manufacture bridges, furniture and railway sleepers. Crepe Myrtle are also used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species. The leaves of the Crepe Myrtle Tree are also fed on by the Antheraea paphia moth which produces the tassar silk (Tussah), a form of wild silk of commercial importance in India.
Characteristics
Crepe Myrtle Trees are chiefly known for their colorful and long-lasting flowers. Most species of Crepe Myrtle Tree have sinewy, fluted stems and branches with a mottled appearance that arises from having bark that sheds throughout the year. The leaves are opposite, simple, with entire margins, and vary in size. While all species of Crepe Myrtle 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 color.
Flowers are born in summer and autumn in panicles of crinkled flowers with a crepe-like texture. Colors 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. It splits along six or seven lines, producing teeth much like those of the calyx, and releases numerous small winged seeds.
Cultivation And Pruning
The Crepe Myrtle Tree is somewhat particular. They require six to eight hours of full sunshine in order to grow flowers. They are drought tolerant but during dry periods require some water to continue flowering. If they are fertilized with nitrogen fertilizers, they may grow very thick foliage by not very many flowers. They are pretty hardy, but are not without their fair share of growing problems. When pruning your Crepe Myrtle you should be careful not to heavily prune the tree.
When planting a new Crepe Myrtle Tree, be careful not to plant the tree too deep into the soil. This could cause robbing the tree of oxygen. When you plant the Crepe Myrtle Tree, you want the top of the root ball to be just level with the soil so that the root ball can gather oxygen. Without oxygen, the plant cannot grow and in fact, the tree will actually start to decline. Other Crepe Myrtle problems include not having enough water during dry periods. In order for your Crepe Myrtle Tree to grow well, you need to make sure it has enough water. Mulching around the tree can help the soil maintain enough moisture especially during drought periods.
Pest Control
Most of the known diseases are caused by pests. Crepe Myrtle pests include Aphids and mold. Aphids need to be washed off with a forceful water bath or spray. You can use an environmentally safe pesticide or insecticide to wash the tree along with water. Sooty mold may appear but doesn’t harm the tree and will go away by itself so long as you control the Aphids.
Japanese beetles are another pest that should be noted. These bugs will eat the tree. Their larvae are complete pests and with enough of these beetles, can destroy a whole tree. In order to prevent bugs, you can again use insecticides and traps as a preventative measure.
