Queen's crape-myrtle
Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers.
Queen's crape-myrtle (Lagerstroemia speciosa) is an ornamental tree with crinkled pink-purple flower clusters at the tips and smooth, mottled bark; its young leaves are used as “banaba” tea to support blood sugar.
No ratings yet — be the first!
Gallery
Queen's crape-myrtle — Whole treeQueen's crape-myrtle — Flowers
Queen's crape-myrtle — Fruit & seeds
Queen's crape-myrtle — Trunk & bark
Queen's crape-myrtle — Leaves
Queen's crape-myrtle — PlantQueen's crape-myrtle — Whole treeQueen's crape-myrtle — FlowersOverview
A tree 10–20 m tall with a round crown and grey-brown bark peeling in patches to reveal pale streaks. Leaves are opposite and elliptic, 10–25 cm long. Large crinkled pink-purple petals form showy clusters at the branch tips; the round capsule ripens brown and holds many winged seeds.
The tree likes sun and heat and blooms in the rainy season. Leaves contain corosolic acid and ellagitannins (lagerstroemin) studied for blood-sugar lowering; in the Philippines the dried leaves are brewed as tea.
Life cycle
From seed to productSeed
Winged seeds disperse by wind; sown in moist bags, they germinate in 2–4 weeks.
Sapling
Light-loving saplings grow at a moderate pace; smooth young bark begins to peel.
Flowering
Vivid pink-purple clusters bloom in the rainy season, attracting bees and butterflies.
Fruiting
Round capsules turn brown and split to release winged seeds; leaves can be harvested for tea.
Distribution & origin
Share of recorded occurrences by region- South Asia · Southeast Asia30%
- Vietnam22%
- Philippines18%
- China · Taiwan16%
- Other plantings14%
Chemical composition
Relative content in agarwood resin- Corosolic acidStudied for blood sugar34%
- Ellagitannins (Lagerstroemin)Bioactive34%
- FlavonoidsAntioxidant20%
- OthersTannins, minerals12%
Uses
- Ornamental and shade tree for streets and parks
- Dried leaves brewed as banaba tea
- Timber for furniture and boats; bark and leaves medicinal
Properties
- Bark
- Smooth, mottled peeling
- Flower
- Pink-purple, crinkled petals
- Fruit
- Round capsule, winged seeds
Habitat & conservation
Native to South and Southeast Asia; grows in open forest, along streams and on moist to seasonally dry ground, and is planted as an ornamental across the tropics.
Conservation
Not globally threatened (IUCN: Least Concern). Widely planted with wild populations remaining in many places; no major concern.
References
- 1Plants of the World Online — Lagerstroemia speciosa — Kew Science, 2024
- 2IUCN Red List — Lagerstroemia speciosa — IUCN, 2019
- 3Banaba (Lagerstroemia speciosa): a review — J. Ethnopharmacol., 2011
- 4Hình ảnh minh hoạ lấy từ Wikimedia Commons, tôn trọng giấy phép ghi kèm — Wikimedia Commons,
- 5Nguồn ảnh: Prenn (CC BY-SA 3.0), Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons,
- 6Nguồn ảnh: Photo by David J. Stang (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons,
- 7Nguồn ảnh: Vengolis (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons,
- 8Nguồn ảnh: Ping an Chang (CC BY-SA 4.0), Wikimedia Commons — Wikimedia Commons,