Lagerstroemia speciosa

Lagerstroemia speciosa
Flowers on a tree in Kolkata, West Bengal, India
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Lythraceae
Genus: Lagerstroemia
Species:
L. speciosa
Binomial name
Lagerstroemia speciosa
Synonyms
  • Lagerstroemia munchausia L. ex Forsyth f.
  • Munchausia speciosa L.
  • Murtughas speciosa (L.) Kuntze

Lagerstroemia speciosa (giant crepe-myrtle, queen's crepe-myrtle, banabá plant, or pride of India, or "queen's flower" or "jarul") is a species of Lagerstroemia native to tropical South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Melanesia.It is a deciduous tree with bright pink to light purple flowers.

The name "queen's Flower" is derived from the specific epithet 'reginae' or 'flosreginae', which means "imperial or flower of the queen". The tree bears beautiful attractive flowers in profusion in purple, lilac or pinkish-violet colours, and lasts for many months. Its timber is next only to teak in its strength. It is called queen crepe myrtle as its flowers look like delicate crêpe paper.