Crape / Crepe Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica)

Location and Notable Facts

  • Other names
    • Both spelling of Crape or Crepe are considered correct. Most commonly used, even by The American Horticulture Society, is Crape. 
  • Scientific Family
    •  Lagerstroemia (Lythraceae Family)
  • Discovery
    •  N/A
  • Size (Width/Height/Growth/DBH)
    • Crape Myrtle sizes range from 2’ to 30.’ There are 8 cultivar size available. Putting the correct size in the landscape will help eliminate “Crape Murder.”
    • City Pruning videos
  • Colors
    •  The most common is red
    • Other colors include white, lilac, purple, shades of pink and shades of red

crepemyrtle

  • Bloom Description/Seed Count
    •  Blooms on current years growth at end of limbs up to 3 months.

CrapemyrtlePhoto credit to University of Georgia

  • Leaf Arrangement 
    •  Simple, opposite on some leaves alternate or whorled on others.

leavesPhoto credit to University of Redlands

  • Bark Arrangement 
    •  Peeling in summer reveals mottled brown bark throughout the winter months.

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  • Invasive/Non-invasive
    •  Non-invasive
  • Native/Non-native
    •  Non-native; native to China and Korea.
  • Pests/Disease
    • Crape Myrtle Bark Scale
    • Powdery mildew and leaf spot in wet years 
  • Comparisons to similar trees
    •  N/A
  • Usefulness
    •  Ornamental
  • Local Location / History:  
    • Located at the corner of the new 324 Malvern Facility and to in the median at Fountain Street

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