The crepe myrtle – a medium sized-tree often covered in an explosion of white, pink, purple or red flowers – lines many an Australian street. Lots of people love them but others think of them as an inadequate and over-planted species. Some even refer to them as “crap myrtle”, which is a little harsh.

In the right numbers, these small trees can be a good choice and do well in a small urban courtyard.

But perhaps large scale planting in urban streetscapes is not the best place for them – they can shed large volumes of flowers, which can get mushy and slippery as they decay.

Getting to know the crepe myrtle

Crepe myrtle is the common name for a number of Lagerstroemia species.

There are about 50 different species: one native to northern Australia.

That native, Lagerstroemia archeriana, is also known as the Queensland or native crepe myrtle; it’s also just crepe myrtle to many.

It is a purple or pink flowering species found in Queensland and Western Australia, and occurs naturally in drier forests. It has been cultivated for a long time but tends to be better suited to northern Australia.

However, the specimen that most people are familiar with is Lagerstroemia indica, the common crepe myrtle – also known as crape myrtle or crapemyrtle.

The name........

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