Name commemorates Magnus Lagerstroem, Swedish friend of Linnaeus
Origin: South China, Korea, India & Burma.
Habit: Small deciduous tree with ascending branches and multi trunk habit. Generally with broad vase shaped canopy, though some variation occurs. Moderate to slow growing mature dimensions range between 3-6m high x 3-6 m wide in cultivation.
Description: Small oval shaped leaves emerge yellowish-green, bronze to reddish purple in colour, maturing to a medium to dark green. Showy autumnal colour range from yellow to orange and red. Bark is smooth, brown-grey sometimes with an almost metallic lustre, and when sloughed reveals a more mottled brown and grey appearance. Flowers are borne in terminal clusters of branched cymes, colours range from white; pink; purple; lavender to dark red. Fruit is a capsule approximately 1cm long.
Tolerances: Adapts to a range of soils. Moderate to high drought tolerance. Prefers full sun for best flower display. Species is susceptible to powdery mildew, though some hybrids are resistant.
Notes: Requires pruning if single trunk is desired. Good tree with high urban tolerance that can be utilised in a number of different informal and formal landscapes. Good street value and size makes it suitable for use under powerlines.
Hybrids between L. indica and L. fauriei are worth considering due to assured flower colour and resistance to certain pathogens, hybrids include ‘Natchez’ with white flowers, ‘Tuscarora’ with dark coral-pink flowers and ‘Biloxi’ with pale pink flowers.
Root space: Based on mature size tree would require approximately 28m2 area or 17m3 root volume (Crown projection method).
Availability: Species is common. Numbers can be limited on hybrids.
Ref: Gilman, E. F. (1997) Trees for urban and suburban landscapes. Delmar. Spencer, R. (2002) Horticultural flora of South-eastern Australia. Flowering Plants – Dicotyledons Part 2. UNSW Press
October 5, 2010 at 2:24 pm
Thanks for your query Dennis,
The matter of plant roots entering and damaging pipes (sewer or water) is dependant in the vast majority of instances on the pipe leaking its contents into surrounding soil. The increase in soil moisture created by the leaking pipe is concentrated around the pipe and gradually declines with distance, creating a moisture gradient. If there are roots growing in the soil affected by increased moisture levels the roots will follow the moisture gradient, growing toward the area of highest moisture concentration (provided the soil is not permanently waterlogged as a result of the leak). In this way roots can enter cracked and leaking pipes, where the roots proliferate and can exacerbate the pipe failure points and/ or physically block the pipe.
The integrity of the seal between terracotta pipe sections can deteriorate over time, particularly if the pipes are laid in reactive soils that experinece seasonal movement, or that may have been poorly sealed during installation. PVC pipes that are bonded with chemical sealants typically fail at the joint when improperly sealed during installation.
Tree roots can cause direct damage to rigid pipes as a result of force exerted by a root growing directly on top or below a pipe in combination with tree and root movement in the soil. Root movement is a natural phenomenon of tree biomechanics; it is a means by which the tree disperses wind-loading from the canopy throughout its structure.
Small diameter low density polyethylene or ‘poly’ irrigation pipes, being quite soft and flexible are particularly susceptible to being ‘pinched’ between rigid structures in the soil including woody tree roots that grow around these pipes.
Crepe Myrtle develops as a small tree, so the potential for the species to cause damage to pipes is in my experience correspondingly low. That said, all trees are opportunistic and will, if exposed to the water provided by a leaking pipe, exploit this resource.
I hope this helps.
Regards,
James
October 5, 2010 at 12:49 pm
I have heard that crepe myrtle root systems can destroy pipes, that they are very invasive and could present a problem as they mature. Is that possible with PVC pipes, such as irrigation systems, etc, and would they present a problem for water pipes that lead into the house from and outside pulp? I have some really great trees that are about 5 years old and perhaps 10-12 feet tall. Should I be removing them in areas where there are pipes? I certainly hate to if I don’t need to.
December 18, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Crepe Myrtles are rarely implicated in storm water pipe blockages. Having said that, if you plant one on top of a leaky old terra-cotta storm water, roots are likely to take advantage of the situation. Tree roots do not have a ‘remote sensing’ capacity. They follow moisture gradients and will proliferate in areas where the soils are open and damp. Poorly back filled trenches around leaking storm water or sewer are tree root highways. Hope this info helps
regards
David Balsamo
December 18, 2009 at 3:31 pm
hi guys..do crepe myrtles have a aggressive root system just worried about our water pipes…thanks…dale
July 7, 2009 at 7:04 am
What a wonderful page and website. The crepe myrtle sure does have great flowers.
Happy Gardening Marty