Lagerstroemia subcostata

Lagerstroemia subcostata, the Taiwan crepe myrtle, is a deciduous tree native to Japan, the Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan, and southern China, and introduced to the Philippines.^[2]

Lagerstroemia subcostata
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Rosids
Order:	Myrtales
Family:	Lythraceae
Genus:	Lagerstroemia
Species:	L. subcostata
Binomial name
Lagerstroemia subcostata Koehne
Synonyms[2]
Lagerstroemia fauriei Koehne Lagerstroemia microcarpa Hance Lagerstroemia subcostata var. hirtella Koehne Lagerstroemia unguiculosa Koehne Murtughas subcostata (Koehne) Kuntze

When L. subcostata var. fauriei is crossed with Lagerstroemia indica, the result is Lagerstroemia × egolfii (usually given as Lagerstroemia indica × fauriei), the hybrid crape myrtle, which has many cultivars and is widely planted as an ornamental in the United States.^[3][4][5][6]

Subtaxa

The following varieties are accepted:^[2]

• Lagerstroemia subcostata var. fauriei (Koehne) Hatus. ex Yahara – Yakushima, Tanegashima, Ryukyus
• Lagerstroemia subcostata var. subcostata – entire range

• 
  The flower has five or six creped petals. Five or six of the stamens are particularly long.
• 
  Flowers just opened
• 
  Panicle and phyllotaxis (opposite or alternate leaves)
• 
  Color of young leaves
• 
  When the fruit is ripe it splits on its own
• 
  Old bark is falling off. Smooth bark is a major feature of Lagerstroemia subcostata.
• 
  Tree trunks tend to be hollow
• 
  Uses: soil and water conservation, firewood, farm tools and traditional Chinese medicine