Lythraceae FAMILY

Lagerstroemia indica

Edibility

0/5

Medicinal

2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Lagerstroemia indica is a deciduous shrub or small tree with an upright, vase-shaped crown; it can grow from 3 - 8 metres tall[ 1213 Title Southern Trees Fact Sheets Publication Author Gilman E.F. Website http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/department_envhort-trees Publisher University of Florida, IFAS Extension Year 0 ISBN Description A series of fact sheets on trees that can be grown in Florida. They can be downloaded from the Internet ]. The tree is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and source of wood. It is used in soil stabilization projects and is a very ornamental plant, valued especially for its floral display and neat habit, being commonly grown in gardens, as a street tree etc from the warm temperate zone to the tropics - there are many named varieties[ 1 Title RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Publication Author F. Chittendon. Publisher Oxford University Press Year 1951 ISBN - Description Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]). , 200 Title The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. Publication Author Huxley. A. Publisher MacMillan Press Year 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5 Description Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed. ]. Lagerstroemia indica is a widely grown ornamental shrub or small tree that has escaped from cultivation and become naturalized on waste ground, disturbed sites, open grasslands, and along roadsides in a great variety of climates in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. It has a very aggressive and dense root system that can outcompete native species. It is listed as invasive in South Africa, Belize, Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands[ 1093 Title Invasive Species Compendium Publication Author Website http://www.cabi.org Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description An immense resource - in depth information on over 900 species of invasive plants (it also has information on animals, fungi etc). ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintemperate; tropical

Native RangeE. Asia - China, Korea.

HabitatOpen grassy places and on cliffs at low altitudes[ 11 Title Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Publication Author Bean. W. Publisher Murray Year 1981 ISBN - Description A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures. ], also on forest edges[ 147 Title A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Publication Author ? Publisher Running Press; Philadelphica. Year 1977 ISBN 0-914294-92-X Description A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods. ]. Semi-shaded places and fertile fields[ 266 Title Flora of China Publication Author Website http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/ Publisher Missouri Botanical Garden Press; St. Louis. Year 1994 ISBN Description An excellent, comprehensive resource in 25 volumes. In addition to the botanical information the flora also gives basic information on habitat and some uses. An on-line version is also available. ].