Queen flower
| Queen flower | ||||||||||||
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Blossom of Lagerstroemia speciosa |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lagerstroemia speciosa | ||||||||||||
| ( L. ) Pers. |
The queen flower ( Lagerstroemia speciosa ) is a species of the Lagerstroemia genus . The natural range of the deciduous tree are the tropical wetlands of western and southern India and other parts of Asia. It is also known under the name Banaba or Banabá .
description
Vegetative characteristics
Lagerstroemia speciosa is a mostly deciduous tree . The appearance is significantly influenced by the location. Straight trees up to 40 meters high grow on rivers and on soils close to the groundwater. In dry areas outside the natural area, they reach heights of 10 (to rarely 15) meters, usually with a crooked trunk and a round crown. The trunk diameter reaches 60-150 centimeters. The brownish to grayish, relatively smooth bark flakes off in patches or strips.
The leaves are arranged opposite to alternate. The egg-shaped to elliptical or lanceolate to oblong leaf blade is glabrous, 12 to 22 inches long and 3.5 to 8 inches wide. It is pointed to pointed and rounded at the base. The stems are thick, usually curved and 6 to 12 millimeters long. The nerve is alternately pinnate. Leaves are reddish, later green, the underside a lighter green than the upper side. The species loses its old, then reddish-brown leaves in February and March, but is rarely completely glabrous. The fresh leaves appear from April to May. There may be small stipules.
Generative characteristics
From May to October, numerous flowers appear in 15 to 38 centimeters long, axillary or terminal and short-haired panicle inflorescences . The flower color of different trees can vary between purple, mauve and pink. The short-stalked, hermaphrodite, six-fold flowers with a double perimeter , have a diameter of 5 to 7.5 centimeters and a length of 3 centimeters. The outside short hairy, ribbed and green calyx is cup-shaped with small triangular, recessed tips. The six wrinkled, nailed petals have a rounded plate with a notched edge. The numerous mostly white or partly reddish stamens are 1.8 centimeters long, the upper, hairy ovary is five to six-fold. The slender, reddish pen is 2.5 centimeters long, the kopfige scar is green.
The 1.2 to 2 centimeters long and 0.9-1.8 centimeters wide, lignified and acuminate, loculicidal, egg-shaped to rounded and brownish capsule fruits with constant flower base and calyx and stylus remains at the tip, are gray to black-brown and open often with six flaps. They ripen between November and January. The one-sided winged seeds are brown-light brown and have a length of up to 0.8 centimeters including wings, the thousand grain mass is about 5–7 grams. Lagerstroemia speciosa germinates epigeously , in natural locations at the beginning of the rainy season.
The number of chromosomes is 2n = 48.
distribution
Lagerstroemia speciosa is native to the tropical wetlands of western and southern India, as well as Assam , Burma , parts of Sri Lanka and large parts of the Malay Peninsula . There are other natural occurrences in southern China, the Philippines and northern Australia. On the West Indies , in Central and South America, it is used as a street and park tree.
In their natural area, the maximum temperatures are between 35 ° C and 43 ° C, and minimum temperatures between 2 ° C and 18 ° C. The annual amount of precipitation varies from 1500 to 4500 millimeters. It grows in damp locations and along rivers, ideally on nutrient-rich, deep, lush alluvial soils.
Taxonomy
Synonyms for Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers. , are e.g. B. Lagerstroemia flos-reginae Retz. , Lagerstroemia munchausia Willd. , Lagerstroemia plicifolia Stokes , Lagerstroemia reginae Roxb. , Adambea glabra Lam. u. a. and the basionym Munchausia speciosa L.
use
The species supplies timber in India, Indonesia and Burma which, together with other Lagerstroemien species, has the trade name Tabek , Bungur or Pyinma as well as Asian or Cambodian Satinwood . It is used for house and boat building, also for making furniture and panels . It can also be made into writing paper.
The species is known as a garden and park tree but also as a shady street tree in India and other tropical countries. The roots, bark, leaves and seeds of the tree are also used in folk medicine.
A yellow dye can be obtained from the bark .
literature
- Schütt, Weisgerber, Schuck, Lang, Stimm, Roloff: Trees of the tropics. 2006, ISBN 3-933203-79-1 .
Web links
- Lagerstroemia speciosa at Pitchandikulam Forest Virtual Herbarium (selection in the menu on the right).
- Description in Flora of Pakistan (Engl.)
- Lagerstroemia speciosa at Useful Tropical Plants.
Individual evidence
- ↑ KEW Seed Information Database.
- ↑ Lagerstroemia speciosa in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Retrieved May 19, 2019.