Crepe myrtle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Crepe myrtle |
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| Lagerstroemia indica | |
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Lagerstroemia
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Lagerstroemia, often called Crepe myrtle (or Crape-myrtle), is a beautiful group of trees and shrubs. There are about 50 different types of these plants. They grow naturally in places like the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, northern Australia, and parts of Oceania. Crepe myrtles are part of the Loosestrife family. They are famous for their amazing, colorful flowers that bloom for a long time.
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What Crepe Myrtles Look Like
The main reason people love Crepe myrtles is their bright, long-lasting flowers. These flowers come in many colors! Most types of Lagerstroemia have unique, twisted stems and branches. Their bark peels off throughout the year, giving them a cool, mottled look.
Their leaves grow in pairs and have smooth edges. They can be from 5 to 20 cm (2 to 8 in) long. Crepe myrtles can be very tall trees, over 100 feet, or very small plants, less than one foot. Most are small to medium-sized trees or shrubs with several trunks. In places with changing seasons, the leaves of some types turn pretty colors in the autumn.
Flowers and Fruit
Crepe myrtle flowers bloom in summer and autumn. They grow in large bunches called panicles. The flowers have a crinkled, crepe-like texture. Their colors range from deep purple to red to white. You can find almost every shade in between! The flowers tend to be in the blue and purple range. You won't see orange or yellow flowers, only in the center parts (stamens and pistils).
After the flowers, the plant grows fruit. This fruit is a capsule, which starts green and soft. It then ripens into a dark brown or black, dry pod. The pod splits open along six or seven lines. Inside, it releases many small seeds that have tiny wings.
Using Crepe Myrtles in Gardens
Certain types of Crepe myrtle are very popular for landscaping and gardening. People use them as screens to block views or as single beautiful plants in a lawn. They also make great shrub borders or plants in containers.
The common Crepe myrtle, which comes from China and Korea, was first brought to the United States in 1790. A French botanist named André Michaux introduced it in Charleston, South Carolina.
In nature, these plants often grow as large shrubs with many stems. But over 200 years of growing them, people have created many different types. These new types, called cultivars, have all sorts of features. Today, there's a Crepe myrtle for almost any garden need. Some are perfect for neat street trees, others form thick hedges, and some are fast-growing dwarf types.
Images for kids
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A 4 m (12 ft) crape myrtle in Lutherville, Maryland
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'Red Rocket' crape myrtle
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L. microcarpa leaves
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L. indica flower and flower buds
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A 'Hot Pink' crape myrtle in Oklahoma
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Crape myrtle during summer in Sombrerete, Mexico
See also
In Spanish: Lagerstroemia para niños
