Lagerstroemia speciosa flos reginae Tree 20-500 Seeds Queens Crape Myrtle Herb
The Plant Attraction
Lagerstroemia Speciosa
Also known as: Lagerstroemia flos reginae, Giant Crape Myrtle, Queens flower, Pride of India, Banaba
This tropical flowering tree is one of the most outstanding summer bloomers. The tree wants to grow with several trunks but can be trained to grow with a single trunk. It can reach heights of 40-65 feet tall, with smooth, flaky bark. The leaves are deciduous, oval to elliptic. The profusion of three inch wide beautiful crinkled flowers are purplish - pink and are larger than its cousin L. indica. The fruit is oval, about one inch long and splits in six pieces when mature. The seeds are small, have winged flaps, and can take a couple months to germinate. The reddish brown hardwood is used for home building, furniture, boots, etc., and tolerate storms well with its flexible branches.
In Vietnam the plant's young leaves are consumed as vegetables, and its old leaves and mature fruit are used in traditional medicine for reducing glucose, weight loss, and kidney ailments (eg. dissolving kidney stones). Roots are used for stomach problems and are wide spreading, which has made it useful in plantings for erosion control. It makes a good avenue tree.
Requires a warm humid climate and full sun. It can be grown in clay, sand, loam, alkaline, acidic, well-drained soil. It has a high drought tolerance and a moderate salt tolerance. They should be watered faithfully and protected from frost. USDA zone 10-11 with some reports of zone 9b.
Choose from packs of 20, 100, or 500 seeds.