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Lagerstroemia microcarpa
Lythraceae FAMILY

Lagerstroemia microcarpa

Lagerstroemia microcarpa

Edibility
0/5
Medicinal
0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitDeciduous Tree
GrowthFast

A plant of the moist tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,300 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 18 - 35°c, but can tolerate 10 - 45°c[1]. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about 5°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,000 - 4,000mm, but tolerates 750 - 5,000mm[1]. Seedlings benefit from light shade and are capable of bearing considerable shade, but later the tree is best grown in full light[1]. Grows best in a well-drained, light to medium, fertile soil, but can tolerate a range of soil types[1]. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.5 - 7.5[1]. A moderately fast-growing tree[2]. Trees respond well to coppicing[3].

Propagation

Seed - sow in a nursery seedbed with some shade[3]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Lagerstroemia+microcarpa>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
  2. [2]A Manual of Indian Timbers. — Gamble. J. S. · Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh · 1972 · ISBN - ↩︎First written in the 19th century, but still a classic, giving a lot of information on the uses and habitats of Indian trees. Not for the casual reader.
  3. [3]Brazilian Trees. Volume 3. — Lorenzi. H. · Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil. · 2009 · ISBN 85-86714-34-4 ↩︎Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
  4. [4]Tropical Timbers of the World. Ag. Handbook No. 607. — Chudnoff. Martin. · USDA Forest Service. Wisconsin. · 1984 ↩︎Terse details on the properties of the wood of almost 400 species of trees from the Tropics.