What does crape myrtle look like?

Ziwei, alias prurigo, ginger. It is a small deciduous tree, belonging to Litchi family, with a height of 7 meters, smooth buckling of branches, and a large amount of bark peeling in autumn and winter. Branchlets slightly quadrangular. The leaves are opposite or nearly opposite, oval, entire, sharp at the apex, wide and round at the base, smooth and hairless on the surface, and hairy on the back of the leaves along the midvein. The flowers are conically clustered at the top of the branches, and the perianth is shriveled, bright red, pink or white.

Lagerstroemia indica has strong anti-pollution ability and can resist toxic gases such as sulfur dioxide, hydrogen fluoride and chlorine, so it is also an ideal flower for beautifying the environment in industrial and mining areas and residential areas. Li Shizhen also recorded in Compendium of Materia Medica that the bark, wood, flowers, seeds and leaves of Lagerstroemia indica can be used as medicine. The roots, leaves and skins of Lagerstroemia indica have the effects of clearing away heat and toxic materials, promoting blood circulation and stopping bleeding.

Common varieties are: Lagerstroemia indica, Yin Wei Lagerstroemia indica, Chiwei, Cuiwei and so on.