Lagerstroemia speciosa
Flowering of Lagerstroemia speciosa
The Queen Flower ( Lagerstroemia speciosa ) is a plant of the genus Lagerströmien. The natural range of the deciduous tree are the tropical wetlands of Western and Southern India and other parts of Asia.
Description
Lagerstroemia speciosa is a deciduous tree. The appearance is significantly influenced by location: On rivers and near groundwater, soils grow up to 40 meters high, geradstämmige trees. In dry areas outside the natural area they are 10 ( rarely to 15) meters high, usually with a crooked trunk and rounded crown.
The leaves are arranged opposite or alternate. The leaf blade is glabrous, 12 to 30 inches long and 6 to 12 millimeters wide and elliptical in shape. The stems are strong, curved and usually 6 to 12 millimeters long. Spurred leaves are reddish, later green, the underside of a lighter green than the top. The type loses in February and March, the old, then reddish brown discolored leaves, but is rarely completely bald. The fresh leaves appear from April until May.
From May to October occur in 15 to 45 centimeters long, finely hairy paniculate inflorescences on numerous flowers. The flower color of various trees can be between purple, mauve and pink vary. The short- stalked, hermaphroditic flowers have diameters from 5 to 7.5 centimeters and a length of 3 centimeters. The six round petals have a ruffled edge. The numerous red stamens are 1.8 inches long, the ovary is sechsfächerig. The slender, reddish pen is 2.5 inches long, the scar is green.
The 1.8 to 2.5 centimeters wide, woody fruit capsules are partially enveloped by still remains of the sepals and petals of the soil, they are gray - brown to black and open with six flaps. They mature between November and January. The seeds are light brown and have a length of 1.2 to 1.8 centimeters, the thousand grain weight is 11.6 grams. Lagerstroemia speciosa germinates epigeal, in natural habitats at the beginning of the rainy season.
The chromosome number is 2n = 48
Dissemination
The home of Lagerstroemia speciosa are the tropical wetlands of Western and Southern India, also Assam, Burma, parts of the country of Sri Lanka and much of the Malay Peninsula. More natural occurrence, there is in southern China, the Philippines and northern Australia. In the West Indies, Central and South America it is used as road and park tree.
In their natural area, the maximum temperatures are 35 ° C to 43 ° C, minimum temperatures at 2 ° C to 18 ° C. The annual rainfall varies 1500-4500 millimeters. It grows in moist sites and along rivers, optimally on rich, deep, loamy alluvial soils.
Use
The species produces in India and Burma timber, the trading name Tabek together with other Lagerstroemien species. It is used for building houses and boats, also for the production of furniture and panels. It can also be made into writing paper.
The species is known as garden and park tree but also as a shady street tree in India and other tropical countries. Also folk medicine roots, bark, leaves and seeds of the tree are used.
Swell
- Bulk, Weisgerber, Schuck, Long, vocal, Roloff: trees of the tropics. 2006, ISBN 3-933203-79-1