Crepe Myrtle

After refusing to bloom in frigid England, Chinese native crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) showed its true colors when André Michaux introduced the tree into Charleston around 1786. Today, crepe myrtles flourish just about anywhere in the South. Audacious spikes of pink, purple, white, and red flowers crown its sculptural branches in the summer and turn to brilliant red and orange in the fall.

• Brief History of the Crepe Myrtle