Taxonomy and crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia) species

Lagerstroemia is one of the approximately 31 genera composing the Lythraceae family (Order: Myrtales). Although several horticulture-related references have often indicated that there are approximately 50 Lagerstroemia species, a review of botanical and taxonomic databases (like the International Plant Names Index; and the Missouri Botanical Garden's VAST Nomenclatural Database) points to at least 80 species (Table 2). These species are natives to Southeastern Asia, including countries like India, China, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Japan, Philippines, and even Australia.

The first species described by Charles Linnaeus, in 1759, was Lagerstroemia indica, as he thought that it was native to India, when in fact it came from south and western China. Linnaeus used the name Lagerstroemia to commemorate his friend Magnus von Lagerstroem, an avid naturalist and Director of the Swedish East Indies Company. Besides Linnaeus, the botanists C.X. Furtado, B.A. Kohene and J.B. Pierre have made significant contributions to the systematics and description of Lagerstroemia species.

Out of all the species listed below, L. indica, L. fauriei, L. speciosa and L. subcostata have been employed as ornamental plants, but only the first two have been extensively used in the breeding, selection and development of modern commercial cultivars (see database) for garden and landscape use.

Species

Origin

Original Reference(s)

L. x amabilis Makino (hybrid of L. indica and L. subcostata)

Japan, Ryukyu Islands, Taiwan

Bot. Mag., Tokyo, 24:14. 1910

L. alatulata Furtado & Montien

Philippines

Gard. Bull. Singapore 24: 242, 1969.

L. angustifolia Pierre ex Gagnep.

   syn. L. angustifolia Pierre ex Laness.

Laos, Cambodia, Thailand

Notul. Syst. (Paris) 3: 155, 1918.

Pl. Util. Colon. Franc. 323, 1886.

L. anisontera Kohene

Laos, Cambodia, Thailand

Engl. Bot. Jahrb. 4:407, 1883.

L. apetala T. Anders. ex Teijsm. & Binn.

Burma

Cat. Hort. Bog. 241, nomen.

L. archeriana F.M. Bailey

      subsp. archeriana F.M. Bailey

      subsp. divaricatiflora H.J. Hewson

           var. archeriana F.M. Bailey

           var. glabrescens F.M. Bailey

Australia

Synops. Queensl. Flora, 196, 1883.

Flora Austral. 18: 112, 321, 1990.

Flora Austral. 18: 321, 1990.

Queensl. Agric. J. 15: 898, 1905.

Queensl. Agric. J. 15: 898, 1905.

L. aruensis Furtado & Montien

Moluccan Islands

Gard. Bull. Singapore 24: 240, 1969.

L. balansae Koehne (Tabek)

       Often misspelled as L. balansea

Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia

Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 23(5, Beibl. 57): 35-36. 1897.

L. barkleyana

L. batitinan Vidal

Philippines

Revis. Pl. Vasc. Filip. 139, 1886.

L. borneensis Furtado & Montien

Borneo

Gard. Bull. Singapore 24: 234, 1969.

L. calycina Koehne

Philippines

Engl. Bot. Jahrb. 4:25, 1883.

L. calyculata Kurz.

        syn. L. angustifolia ?

Burma, Laos, Vietnam

Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 41: 307, 1872.

L. caudata Chun & How ex S.K. Lee & L.F. Lau

China

Bull. Bot. Res., Harbin 2(1): 144-146, 1982.

L. chekiangensis Cheng

China

Contr. Biol. Lab. Sci. Soc. China, Sect. Bot. 8:73, 1932.

L. cochinchinensis Pierre ex Gagnep.

    syn. L. cochinchinensis Pierre ex Laness.

Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia

Notul. Syst. (Paris) 3: 356, 1918.

Pl. Util. Colon. Franc. 321, 1886.

L. colllinsae Craib

Siam

Bull. Misc. Inform. Kew 282, 1914..

L. costa-draconis Furtado & Montien

Burma, Thailand, Cambodia

Gard. Bull. Singapore 24: 270, 1969.

L. crassifolia Furtado & Montien

Borneo

Gard. Bull. Singapore 24: 232, 1969.

L. crispa Pierre ex Gagnep.

    syn. L. crispa Pierre

Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia

Notul. Syst. 3: 357, 1918.

Pl. Util. Colon. Franc. 322, 1886.

L. cristatata Furtado & Montien

New Guinea

Gard. Bull. Singapore 24: 236, 1969.

L. dielsiana Mansfeld

New Guinea

Engl. Jahrb. 61: 24, 1927.

L. duperreana Pierre ex Gagnep.

Thailand, Laos, Vietnam

Fultado, Montien, Gardens, Bull. 24: 285, 1969.

L. engleriana Koehne

Timor

Engl. Bot. Jahrb. 4: 24, 1883.

L. excelsa (Dode) Chun ex S.K. Lee & L.F. Lau

    basionym. Orias excelsa (Dode) Chun ex

China

Flora Reipubl. Popularis Sin. 52(2): 104, 1983.

L. fauriei Koehne

    syn. L. subcostata var. fauriei   (Koehne) Hatusima ex T. Yahara

Japan

Engl. Jahrb. 41: 102, 1907.

J. Fac. Sci. Univ. Tokyo, Bot. 14: 98, 1987.

L. floribunda Jack sec. Griff.

     syn L. carinata Wall.

       syn. L. cuspidata Wall.

Malaya

Malay. Misc. 1: 38, 1820.

Posth. Pap. 4: 509, 1854.

L. fordii Oliv. & Koehne ex Koehne

China

Engl. Pflanzenr. 4: 216, 262, 1903.

L. gagnepainii Furtado & Montien

      syn. L. glabra Gagnep.

Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia

Gard. Bull. Singapore 24: 287, 1969.

Leconite, Not. Syst. 3:359, 1918.

L. glabra Koehne

       syn. L. subcostata var. glabra ?

China

Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 41(2): 102. 1907.

L. grandiflora Roxb. ex DC.

      syn. Duabanga sonneratioides

India

Mém. Soc. Bot. Gèneve 3(2): 84. 1826

Hort. Beng. 38 and Flor. Ind. 2:503

L. guilinensis S.K. Lee & L.F. Lau

China

Bull. Bot. Res. NE. Forest. Inst., 2(1): 143, 1982.

L. hexaptera Miq.

Malaya

Fl. Ind. Bat. 1:623

L. hirsuta (Lam.) Willd.

India

L. hossei Koehne

Thailand

Engl. Jahrb. 42: 97, 50, 1908.

L. hypoleuca Kurz

Andaman (India?)

Andam. Report, App. p. 8

Journ. As. Soc. Beng. 41: 307, 1872.

L. indica L.

    syn. L. chinensis Linn.    

    syn. L. chinensis Lam

    syn. L. elegans Wall. ex Paxton

    syn. L. minor chinensis Retz.

    syn. L. pulchra Salisb.

L. indica var. alba Ram. Goyena

China

Central America (?)

Syst. Nat. (ed. 10) 2: 1076. 1759.

Amoen. Acad. 4:137, 1759.

Encycl. Méth., Bot., 3: 375. 1792.

Mag. Bot., 14: 269, 1848.

Obs. Bot. 5: 25, 1789.

Prodr. 365. 1796.

Flora Nicarag. 410, 1909.

L. inermis Pers.

Thailand

L. inopinata Furtado & Montien

Philippines

Gard. Bull. Singapore 24: 238, 1969.

L. intermedia Koehne

China

Engl. Pflanzenr. 216: 260, 1902.

L. japonica Sieb. ex Miq.

Japan

Prol. Fl. Jap. 148

L. javanica Thunb.

Java

Flora Javan. 21.

L. koehneana K. Schumann

New Guinea

K. Schum. & Hollr. Fl. Kais. Wilh. Land. 85, 1889.

L. lanceolata Wall.

    syn. L. microcarpa Wright

India, Nepal

L. langkawiensis Furtado & Montien

Malaya

Gard. Bull. Singapore 24: 327, 1969.

L. lecomtei Gagnep.

Thailand

Leconite, Not. Syst. 3:360, 1918.

L. leptolepis Hort.

ex Journ. Nikita Gard. 3: (Addend.): 64, 1909.

L. limii Merr.

China

Philipp. J. Sci. 27: 165-166. 1925.

L. loudonii Teijsm. & Binn.

Thailand

Tijdschr. Nederl. Ind. 25: 425, 1863.

L. madagascariensis Baker

Madagascar

J. Linn. Soc., Bot. 18: 270. 1881

L. x matthewsii Searl (hybrid of L. indica and L. speciosa)

Australia

Developed in 1880’s by C. Matthews in Queensland, Australia

L. micrantha Merr.

Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, China, Taiwan

J. Arnold Arbor. 21: 378. 1940

L. minuticarpa Debberm. ex. P.C. Kanjilal

India

Assam Forest Rec., Bot. 1: 9,1934.

L. moluccana Furtado & Montien

Moluccan Islands

Gard. Bull. Singapore 24: 244, 1969.

L. nervosa Pierre ex Laness.

Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia

Pl. Util. Colon. Franc. 322, 1886.

L. noei Craib.

Thailand

Kew Bull. 327, 1930.

L. ovalifolia Teijsm & Binnend

      syn. L. celebica Blume

      syn. L. riedeliana Oliver

Malaya

Nat. Tijdschr. Neder. Ind. 2:306, 1840

Mus. Bot. Lugd. Bat. 2:127

Journ. Linn. Soc. 15: 99, 1876.

L. paniculata Vidal

Philippines

Phan. Cuming. Philipp. 39: 115.

L. paniculata (Turcz.) S. Vidal

   syn. Pterocalymna paniculata Turcz.

Philippines

Revis. Pl. Vasc. Filip. 140, 1886.

L. parviflora Roxb.

     syn. L. fatioa Blume

     syn. L. lanceolata Wight & Arn.

L. parviflora var. benghalensis

India, Nepal

Pl. Corom. 1:48 t. 66

Mus. Bot. Lugd. Bat. 2:125

L. petiolaris Pierre ex Gagnep.

     syn. L. petiolaris Pierre ex Laness.

Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos

Leconite, Not. Syst. 3: 360, 1918.

Pl. Util. Colon. Franc. 321, 1886.

L. piriformis Koehne

Philippines

Engl. Bot. Jahrb. 4: 23, 1883.

L. prostata

L. pterosepala Furtado & Montien

Philippines

Gard. Bull. Singapore 24: 230, 1969.

L. punctata Blume

Malaya

Mus. Bot. Lugd. Bat. 2: 126.

L. pustulata Furtado & Montien

Borneo

Gard. Bull. Singapore 24: 222, 1969.

L. qui houi ?

L. quinquevalvis Koehne

Vietnam, Laos

Engl. Pflanzenreich, Lythrac. 268.

L. rottleri C.B. Clarke

   syn. L. hirsuta Rott. ex C.B. Clarke

India, New Guinea, Bhutan

Hook. Fl. Brit. Ind. 2:576.

L. siamica Gagnep.

Thailand

Notul. Syst. 3: 361. 1918.

L. speciosa (L.) Pers.

    syn. L. flos-reginae Retz.

    syn. L. macrocarpa Wall.

    syn. L. major javanensis Retz.   

    syn. L. plicifolia Stokes

    syn. L. reginae Roxb.

    syn. L. augusta Wall.

    syn. L. manchausia Willd.

    syn. L. regia

India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines

Australia?

Synop. Plant. 2: 72. 1806.

Observ. Bot. 5: 25. 1788.

Hort. Suburb. Calc. 132

Obs. 1: 20, 1779.

Bot. Mat. Med. 3: 105.

Pl. Corom. 1: 46, t. 65

L. spireana Gagnep.

Laos

Notul. Syst. 3: 362, 1918.

L. stenopetala Chun

China

Sunyatsenia 7: 8-9, 1948.

L. subcostata Koehne

        syn. L. microcarpa Hance

  L. subcostata var. glabra Koehne