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Lagerstroemia × egolfii

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Lagerstroemia × egolfii
'Miami' cultivar flowers
'Tuscarora' cultivar bark
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Lythraceae
Genus: Lagerstroemia
Species:
L. × egolfii
Binomial name
Lagerstroemia × egolfii

Lagerstroemia × egolfii (usually given as Lagerstroemia indica × fauriei), the hybrid crape myrtle, is an artificial hybrid species of flowering plant in the family Lythraceae.[1][2] Its parents are Lagerstroemia indica (the crepe‑myrtle) and L. subcostata var. fauriei (the Japanese crape myrtle – some authorities continue to recognize Lagerstroemia fauriei as a valid species).[3][4]

Use and cultivation

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Hybrid crape myrtles are widely planted in the United States as ornamental trees and shrubs. For example, the city of McKinney, Texas has a set of Crape Myrtle Trails and a World Collection Park devoted to over one hundred varieties of crape myrtles.[5]

Their use in the United Kingdom was curtailed until recently because the plants rarely survived British winters even in mild southern coastal areas. It turns out that crepe myrtles need a sustained period of hot weather in the summer to "ripen" the wood, or they will be damaged by frost in the winter.[6] With increasing temperatures due to climate change and in urban heat islands, crepe myrtles are now being successfully planted, typically against a south-facing wall where they can "get a good baking".[6]

U.S. National Arboretum hybrids

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Hybrids were created and released by the U.S. National Arboretum beginning in the 1950s, and are valued for their cold hardiness, their resistance to powdery mildew, and their striking patterned bark.[2][4] Hybrid cultivars are all named for Native American tribes.[7] Earlier hybrids had lavender or white flowers, with brighter colors (and dwarf cultivars) being developed later through additional crossing and selection, or via backcrossing.[8][9]

References

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  1. ^ Whittemore, Alan T.; Schori, Melanie (2022). "A new nothospecies in Lagerstroemia (Lythraceae)". Phytotaxa. 539 (3): 294–300. doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.539.3.10.
  2. ^ a b Breen, Patrick (2024). "Lagerstroemia (hybrid)". Landscape Plants. Oregon State University. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Lagerstroemia × egolfii Whittem. & Schori". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  4. ^ a b Breen, Patrick (2024). "Lagerstroemia fauriei". Landscape Plants. Oregon State University. Archived from the original on 15 June 2024. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
  5. ^ "Crape Myrtle Varieties". The Crape Myrtle Trails of McKinney™. 2024. Archived from the original on 5 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024. approximately 105 varieties ... about 15 more unusual types
  6. ^ a b Armitage, James (15 May 2024). "Lagerstroemia". Plant collections. The Royal Horticultural Society. Archived from the original on 16 June 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.
  7. ^ Kathleen Norris Brenzel, ed. (2007). Sunset Western Garden Book. Oxmoor House. p. 430. ISBN 978-0376039163.
  8. ^ Egolf, Donald R. (1981). "'Muskogee' and 'Natchez' Laserstroemia". HortScience. 16 (4): 576–577. doi:10.21273/HORTSCI.16.4.576.
  9. ^ "Plant Introductions - Listed by Common Name (A - L)". usna.usda.gov. U.S. National Arboretum. 2024. Archived from the original on 20 May 2024. Retrieved 16 June 2024.

Further reading

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