Campus Tree Tour
Lythraceae – Loosestrife Family
In 2024, this crapemyrtle measured 35 feet tall and had a diameter of 46 inches. Based on USDA Forest Service models it will absorb approximately 211 lbs. of carbon over the next 20 years. Put simply, this tree will offset up to 853 car miles worth of carbon dioxide.
See all the species on our Campus Tree Tour.
Introduction
The crapemyrtle is an aesthetically pleasing tree with a thin exfoliating bark and bright flowers that bloom purple, pink, red, or white. Crapemyrtles are small- to medium-sized trees often planted in urban and residential areas of Florida and the Southeast. They are native to Asia, and although they are not listed as an invasive species, they have been observed in natural spaces.
Physical Description
Life expectancy: 25 to 50 years
Height: 10 – 30 feet
Crown: 15 – 25 feet
Diameter: Variable
Bark: Varying shades of brown and orange with exfoliating flakes that peel off the tree to reveal smooth, thin bark.
Leaves: Deciduous leaves that are simple and alternate to sub-alternate (almost opposite) arrangement. Leaves are green and glabrous on both sides, while shape varies from oval to elliptical.
Twigs: Brown
Flowers: Showy flowers of pink, purple, white, and red that emerge in panicles as clusters of 25 to 500 flowers. They bloom during the summer.
Fruits: Small (1 inch), round, woody capsules that contains 20 or more two-winged seeds that mature in the fall and persist through the winter.
Key Identification Characteristics: exfoliating bark, leaf arrangement, found in urban landscaping
Past and Present Uses
The crapemyrtle was introduced to South Carolina within the U.S. in the late 1700’s as a valuable landscape tree. In 1962, the U.S. National Arboretum pursued a program to breed crapemyrtles, creating cultivars to explore different variations of the tree by modifying the tree’s size, bark, flower colors, fall leaf colors, and other traits.
There are still cultivars breeding crapemyrtle, and once cultivated, the trees are planted along highway medians, streets, and on suburban lawns. When managing, it is important to avoid severely pruning the tree by chopping off its top branches. This “crape murder” impedes the tree’s natural growth by weakening the tree and increasing disease susceptibility. Since there are countless cultivars, it is recommended to buy the best crapemyrtle for the desired area to avoid potential harm.
Ecological Importance
Origin: Native to the Asia
Native Range: Naturally found in the Philippines, Japan, central Himalayas to southern China and Indochina. Within America, it is found in the southern United States (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Nonnative planting range for Crapemyrtle. Photo credit: UF/IFAS
The crapemyrtle can grow as a single stem or as a multi-stemmed form, tolerating wet to dry soils. This allows the tree to adapt to urban settings, but it is ideally planted in nutrient rich, well-drained soils with full sun exposure.
Although the tree is non-native, the crapemyrtle has wildlife uses. Its showy flowers have the potential to attract various pollinators, like bees and butterflies.
More Information
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/ST342
References
Dubois, J. J. B., & Blazich, F. A. (n.d.). Lagerstroemia L. Lythraceae - Loosestrife family. https://www.fs.usda.gov/nsl/Wpsm/Lagerstromia.pdf
i-Tree. (2006). Tree tools - calculate the benefits of trees!. i-Tree. https://www.itreetools.org/
Martin, S. (2018). Crape Myrtle – a southern icon gets even better. Piedmont Master Gardeners. https://piedmontmastergardeners.org/article/crape-myrtle-a-southern-icon-gets-even-better/
North Carolina Plant Toolbox. (n.d.). Lagerstroemia indica. Extension Gardener. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/lagerstroemia-indica/
San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Animals and Plants. (n.d.). Crape Myrtle. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Animals and Plants. https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/plants/crape-myrtle
United States Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service. (n.d.). Classification for Kingdom Plantae Down to Species Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers. Plants. https://plants.usda.gov/home/classification/84392