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Lagerstroemia speciosa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers. |
Lagerstroemia speciosa (Giant Crape-myrtle, Queen's Crape-myrtle or Banabá Plant) is a species of Lagerstroemia native to tropical southern Asia. It is a small to medium-sized tree growing to 20 m tall, with smooth, flaky bark. The leaves are deciduous, oval to elliptic, 8-15 cm long and 3-7 cm broad, with an acute apex. The flowers are produced in erect panicles 20-40 cm long, each flower with six white to purple petals 2-3.5 cm long.
It is grown in South East Asia, India and the Philippines. It is used to control glucose levels of Type II diabetes patients. It will lower blood glucose levels and as a side effect it may also cause weight reduction.
It is also widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in tropical and subtropical areas.
- Flora of Pakistan: Lagerstroemia speciosa
- Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening 3: 10.