Lagerstroemia duperreana - Andhra Crape Myrtle

Andhra Crape Myrtle is a not very common crape myrtle. It is a tree 25-30 m. Leaves are oblong, 6-18 cm, long, 4-7 cm wide, carried on 3-4 mm long stalks. Leaves are deeply reticulately veined. Basally blunt or rounded, tip notched, round or shortly pointed, hairless on both sides, green above, slightly pale, leathery below; secondary nerves 8-13. Flowers are borne at branch ends, in pyramidal panicles, 10-12 cm long. Flowers are purple, with crumpled petals, 2.5-4 cm across. The flowers fade to white. Sepls are 6, very much velvet-hairy, triangular. Beautiful flowers bloom for almost 3 months. Flowers are pink to light purple in colour and fade to white. It has robust trunk with distinctive smooth light brown to grey bark that flakes off in large sections to reveal the new bark developing underneath. Andhra Crape Myrtle is found in Eastern Ghats. There is another variety which is found in SE Asia. Flowering: July-September.