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Carl Nilsson Linnaeus, more commonly known by his latinized name Carolus Linnaeus, was first and foremost a botanist. The Swedish scientist is often immortalized for his contributions to science: 1) taxonomy-naming, circumscribing, and grouping all life in a hierarchy; and 2) binomial nomenclature — a system of assigning species a name composed of two parts-genus and species.
Carl’s father, Nils, was a amateur botanist and minister. Much to his father’s chagrin, Carl lacked the aptitude to become a man of the cloth. Consequently, he became a scholar. Carl Linnaeus ultimately published over 9,000 valid plant species. Some he observed firsthand, but he did acquire specimens from collectors around the world.
Sweden does not come to mind when one thinks of colonial powers. However, the country did establish colonies in North America, the Caribbean and a short-lived foothold on the Indian subcontinent. The Swedish East India Company undertook some of these specimen-trading ventures. As the name implies, they also operated in Southeast Asia. A common street tree on the mainland that has a connection to the Swedes and Linnaeus hails from this region. It is the crape myrtle, or Lagerstroemia.
In 1759, Linnaeus had the honor of naming and describing the first species of crape myrtle as Lagerstroemia indica. The name pays homage to his friend Magnus von Lagerstroem, the director of the Swedish East India Company and a passionate naturalist.
However, these trees appeared in an earlier publication by G.E. Rumphius as “tsjinkin,” an incorrect transliteration from Chinese. One appropriate common name for this species is “pai jih hung” (hundred days red), referring to how long its stunning flowers last. Rumphius noted that it was prolific in the mountains of China, where lineages of this tree have existed since the Miocene (23 million-2.6 million years ago).
The Chinese have cultivated this tree for centuries beginning during the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD), where its majesty graced their palaces. Perhaps in the same spirit, the second Duke of Northumberland acquired seeds in 1759 and donated them to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew.
Unfortunately, the climate of the British Isles proved to be too cold for the plant to flower. It was not until the French botanist Andre Michaux brought the first crape myrtle to Charleston, S.C., that people were able to behold its floral splendor. George Washington requested seeds for his home in Mount Vernon, Va.
Lagerstroemia can be grown in a variety of conditions and make a great specimen tree that will impress your family, friends and neighbors.
In the summer these deciduous trees flower in shades of red, pink, lavender and white. Its bark also exfoliates, which gives individual trees a mottled appearance. When the trees shed their leaves in the winter, you can behold their picturesque, multitrunked architecture. In the spring they display a new flush of crimson- to garnet-colored leaves.
Species can range in size from 20-50 feet, but there are some dwarf/shrubby cultivars which are suitable to grow in containers. All species require acidic soils. Also, wherever you decide to plant them make sure there is adequate airflow. These stately giants are susceptible to powdery mildew, a fungal disease that can damage their leaves.
Otherwise crape myrtle trees are quite resilient and impervious to most insect pests or diseases. To preserve its unique characteristics, cultivars of Lagerstroemia are generally propagated from stem or root cuttings. They do grow readily from seed but may not display the same appearance as the parent plant.
Resist the urge to boost blossoms with a hard prune. Lagerstroemia flower from both old and new growth. You can see Lagerstroemia species flowering at the Harold L. Lyon Arboretum and in Oahu’s urban landscapes.
Jesse Adams and Tim Kroessig are both botanists at the Harold L. Lyon Arboretum, where they work to catalogue, propagate and conserve the plant diversity found there.
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