Lagerstroemia indica 'Durant Red' Half Standard
Small deciduous tree or large shrub with bark that scales off to reveal the reddish-brown glabrous wood, very ornamental especially in winter when the plant is bare. Sessile leaves or shortly petiolated, elliptical or elongate, 2-7cm long, dark green turning reddish-purple in autumn (with the exception of the white-flowered variety). Flowers: clustered in very dense terminal racemes, 10-20cm long guaranteeing a spectacular flowering throughout summer. Grows well in all the plains of Italy, even in the north, but the most abundant flowering occurs where the summer is hot and fairly humid. Requires fertile, loose, well drained soil. Flowering occurs on current year’s wood and therefore it should be pruned hard but never before the second fortnight of February.
