Family: Lythraceae
Species: Lagerstroemia indica L.
Common name: St. Bartholomew’s Tree - Deutsch: Indische Lagerstromie-English: Crape Myrtle
Etymology
The genus name is dedicated to Magnus von Lagerström, director of the Swedish East India Company, a plant collector and friend of Linnaeus. The species name is derived from the Latin adjective of India, even though the plant is native to eastern Asia.
Description
Native to China, Korea, and Japan, it was introduced to Europe in the 18th century. A shrubby plant reaching 3–7 m in height, characterised by rapid growth, a rounded crown, and a smooth trunk. The bark is light brown with reddish-brown plates.
The leaves are leathery, entire, glossy green, and elliptical. They have a very short petiole and short bristles along the midrib on the underside. In autumn, they turn from yellow to bright red.
The flowers, clustered in panicles up to 20 cm long, are very showy and vivid pink-purple. The petals have wavy, fringed edges and narrow abruptly at the base. Yellow anthers stand out against the deep pink petals.
The fruit is a globose capsule containing numerous winged seeds, approximately 8 mm in size.
Notes and Curiosities
In Europe, Lagerstroemia is used solely for ornamental purposes. However, in its countries of origin, it also has economic significance: beyond carpentry, it is employed in building houses, bridges, and railway sleepers.
It prefers a sunny position. The first flowers usually open towards the end of August—hence the common name of St. Bartholomew’s Tree. A singular feature of the flower is the presence of two sets of stamens: one set has yellow anthers on short filaments, numerous and crowded together; the other set, numbering six (mirroring the flower’s symmetry), has very long filaments and dark anthers.
Even in winter, once bare, it remains attractive: the bark peels away in thin, irregular ivory-coloured plates, making the smooth wood highly ornamental.
The Heller garden favours a sunny spot, and its shrub shape—arising from numerous open, twisted branches at ground level—is appreciated. Its showy, terminal panicle inflorescences, quadrangular-section branches, and smooth, thin bark facilitate easy identification.