Lagerstroemia speciosa

De Wilde, Willem J. J. O. & Duyfjes, Brigitta E. E., 2016, Survey of Lagerstroemia L. (Lythraceae) in Indochina (excl. Thailand) with the description of Lagerstroemia densiflora, sp. nov., a new species from Vietnam, Adansonia 38 (2), pp. 241-255 : 252

17. Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers.

Synopsis Plantarum 2 (1): 72 (1807) . — Furtado & Srisuko, Garden’s Bulletin Singapore 24: 264, fig. 29A (1969). — P. H . Hô, An Illustrated Flora of Vietnam 2 (1): 25, fig. 3662 (1992) . — S. Gardner et al., A Field Guide to Forest Trees of Northern Thailand: 206: 450 (2000). — W. J . de Wilde et al., Flora of Thailand 11 (4): 574 (2014).— Munchausia speciosa L ., Hausvater 5: 357 (1770). — Lectotype (designated by Dar in Nasir & Ali , Flora of West Pakistan 78, 1975: 3): ‘Habitat in Java, China’, Herb. Linn. No. 939.1 ( LINN!). Lagerstroemia reginae Roxb., Plants of the Coast of Coromandel 1: 46, t. 65 (1795). — Furtado & Srisuko, Garden’s Bulletin Singapore 24: 261, fig. 29 B . 1969; P.H. Hô, An Illustrated Flora of Vietnam 2 (1): 24, fig. 3661 (1992) . — Lectotype (designated by De Wilde & Duyfjes, 2014: 119): northern India, Circars, Roxburgh s.n. (holo-, K!, right hand specimen [ K000729731 ]).

SPOT- CHARACTERS. — Flower buds globose, finely 10-12-ribbed, thinly hairy; flowers c. 40 mm wide; fruiting calyx lobes thin, c. 1 mm thick.

DISTRIBUTION. — India to New Guinea, including Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam; but see below.

NOTES

It is not certain that Lagerstroemia speciosa is a native of Indochina. In northern Thailand where it is widely planted as an ornamental tree along roads and other places it is considered not native ( Gardner et al. 2000).

Lagerstroemia speciosa can be confused with L. macrocarpa , but the latter has, for example, larger flowers, 60-80 mm wide and thicker fruiting calyx lobes, c. 2 mm thick.