6. LAGERSTROEMIA Linnaeus, Syst. Nat. ed. 10. 2: 1068, 1076, 1372. 1759.
[I]
Crape or crepe myrtle [For Magnus Lagerstroem, 1696–1759, friend of Linnaeus and supporter of Uppsala University]
Shirley A. Graham
Shrubs or small trees, terrestrial, 30–70 dm, outer bark whitish, smooth, flaking in thin plates, inner bark light brown or coral, glabrous or puberulent. Stems erect, branched. Leaves usually alternate or subalternate; subsessile [petiolate]; blade obovate or elliptic [lanceolate, oblong], base rounded or cuneate [attenuate]. Inflorescences determinate, terminal or axillary panicles. Flowers subsessile, actinomorphic, monostylous; floral tube perigynous, campanulate [semiglobose to turbinate], externally smooth [ridged]; epicalyx segments absent; sepals (5 or)6(or 7), 1/3–1/2 floral tube length; petals caducous or deciduous, (5 or)6(or 7)[–9], rose, purple, or white, obovate to orbiculate, often clawed; nectary absent; stamens 36–42[–200], dimorphic [uniform]; ovary (3–)6-locular; placenta elongate; style slender; stigma capitate to punctiform. Fruits capsules, woody, dehiscence loculicidal. Seeds ca. 20–50, obpyramidal, unilaterally winged from raphe; cotyledons rolled.
Species ca. 56 (1 in the flora); introduced; Asia, Pacific Islands, n Australia; introduced also widely in tropical and subtropical areas.
SELECTED REFERENCES Furtado, C. X. and S. Montien. 1969. A revision of Lagerstroemia Linnaeus (Lythraceae). Gard. Bull. Straits Settlem. 24: 185–334. Kim, S. C., S. A. Graham, and A. Graham. 1994. Palynology and pollen dimorphism in the genus Lagerstroemia (Lythraceae). Grana 33: 1–20.
