Crape Myrtle Flower

Les myrtes de crêpe (ou myrte de crêpe) offrent de l’intérêt et de la couleur toute l’année.

Crape myrtle (or crepe myrtle) trees provide year-round interest and color with their showy summer blooms, colorful fall foliage and attractive winter bark. They are available in several sizes from 2-foot shrubby dwarf varieties to towering trees, offer many colors from white to shades of deep red and purple, and can be grown as single or multi-trunk specimens. With all of these options, you’ll be able to find the perfect crape myrtle for your garden.

These flowers, Lagerstroemia, are known as either crepe myrtles, or crape myrtles, depending on who is spelling the name. The flowers are elaborate, and I was grateful to have gotten a reasonably clear photo of the entire flower, this time. You can see six sepals, in a six-pointed star. The petals, which look like crepe, or crape, come out of stalks in the corners of the star. The anthers, with pollen, are easily visible. The small green object in the center of the sepals is the stigma, which collects pollen. There's an unopened flower bud to the right of the sepals. Enough flower anatomy.

Crepe/crape myrtles are common ornamental bushes/small trees in Upstate South Carolina, and elsewhere. The flowers come in white, this color, a magenta, and a couple of other shades. The plants will grow to at least a few yards/meters tall, if allowed to, but they are often pruned. The bushes/trees are covered with flowers, at the right time. I have noted that, after a good rain, the flowers hold enough water that the branches are bent.

CRAPE MYRTLE BASICS

Zones:

Varieties for zones 6-10. Some may only be root hardy in zone 6, meaning the roots will survive the winter temperatures, but it's possible that the above-ground branches will die back completely to the ground. If this occurs, new spring growth will emerge from below ground.

Height/Spread:

Standard single and multi-trunk trees can grow to 20 to 30 feet tall and 10 to 15 feet wide, quickly growing up to 3 feet per year. There are also smaller dwarf and semi-dwarf varieties ranging from 6 to 18 feet tall and shrub varieties 2 to 5 feet tall, so make sure you are choosing the appropriate cultivar for your location and design.