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 Queens
flower
Queen crape myrtle
This deciduous species from the humid jungles of India, Sri Lanka
and Burma can reach a height of 80 ft (24 m) in the wild, with a
single trunk and a spreading broad head. It has long, leathery
leaves that turn copper red in fall (autumn) before dropping. Very
showy panicles of large, rose-pink to lilac and lavender-purple
flowers are borne from summer to fall. The bark is shed in irregular
patches, giving the smooth gray trunk an attractive yellowish,
mottled appearance.
Cultivation: They thrive in full sun in well-drained, humus-rich
soil. They need shelter from strong summer winds, which will destroy
the delicate flowers. Propagate from cuttings in summer or from seed
in spring.
Medicinal applications: roots are used for stomach problems.
Tea of the leaves is used against diabetes mellitus and for weight
loss.
The leaves are able to lower blood sugar due to, among other
phytochemicals -, corosolic acid (triterpenoid glycoside).
It helps the body handling glucose and as such also effective in
weight loss. |
