Identity Please

ozzerbon

G'day folks,

Pic attached was sent to me as supposed to be a Jacaranda, which it is clearly not, does anybody know what it is, it's very familiar to me but I just can't tag it.

Sorry if I'm in the wrong forum but couldn't quite make out the right one.

Nigel

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ozzerbon

Closeup of flowers

Nigel

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TreeBay

It looks like a Crape Myrtle to me, based on those opposite leaves with a kind of waxy appearance, and the ball-shaped flower buds.

Here's a picture of some blooms at Crape Myrtle Farms: It may be an entirely different variety, but check out the unbloomed flowers and foliage.

http://www.crapemyrtlefarms.com/white1.JPG

If it is just blooming now (mid summer) that would also support the Crape Myrtle possibility.

Regards,

Matt

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dbz12fan

The trunk also has the look of a crepe myrtle. Thats what I would guess.

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tworedroseman

note the growth pattern of the new branch on the lower left in the first picture. Surely looks like crape myrtle

ozzerbon

Have just bought the tree in question and shall have it in something like two weeks, so will do new pics when it is here in my place, if it is a Crape myrtle when should it be repotted and is it winter hardy?

Any special things I should know as I have never seen one before?

Nigel

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jeremy_norbury

Are you going to tell us what you paid for it, or is that to remain a secret?

What happened with the Mugo?

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FredL

Nigel, here in the Ozarks, we don't have any trouble getting Crepe Myrtle through the Winter with the normal precautions appropriate for natives. That is USUALLY. I have seen Crepe Myrtles die back to a stump when we have very unusually severe cold snaps, with the temperatures going below, say, 10 degrees Farenheit for several days. We don't see this in a normal winter, but it can happen. I've only had mine for one winter, but I will take it into the garage if that happens. Last winter, it did fine with some protection from the wind and some leaves around the pot with my other trees. Crepe Myrtle is widely used as a landscape tree here and, as I said, makes it through most winters without any special precautions. My guess is that your winters are more even temperatured than ours and more predictable because of your proximity to the ocean. I doubt that you will have any trouble with it, but it is a little more marginal than your native trees are likely to be.

Fred

Thomas_J.

Nigel,
That's for sure a Crape Myrtle. As Matt said, the little ball shaped flower buds give it a sure identity. As Fred noted, they are pretty winter hardy in our part of the country (southern US). I read sometime ago that what makes them bloom is the early warm to hot temps that we experience here in the south. I never heard of or seen a crape myrtle where I was originally from (Chicago area)
because it is just too cold for them there. If your climate is anything like the southern U.S., you shouldn't have any trouble.
I'm posting a pic of mine which is an import from China where I was told they originally come from. I was told also that all the crape myrtles that you see here in the garden centers with the smooth bark trunks, are actually hybrids from these chinese originals. I've had mine for about four or five years and just bloomed for me this year, actually about a week ago. Most of them will start blooming about mid june or early july. Good luck with yours.

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