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Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.)Pers.

Synonyms	:	Lagerstroemia speciosa var. intermedia
Family	:	Lythraceae
Local Name	:	English - Queen crepe myrtle Malayalam –Nirmaruthu
Flowering and Fruiting Period	:	March-November
Distribution	:	Indo-Malesia
Distribution  in Kerala	:	All Districts
Habitat	:	Semi-evergreen and evergreen forests, mostly along banks of streams; also planted as avenue tree
Uses	:	Medicinal tree traditionally used to lower blood sugar in the body. Its high content of corosolic acid makes it an effective anti-diabetic drug. Banaba is also recommended for kidney, bladder problems and hypertension.
Key Botanical Characters: Deciduous trees, to 25 m high, bark 4-6 mm thick, yellowish-brown, smooth; fibrous. Leaves simple, opposite or subopposite,. Flowers bisexual, 5-7 cm across, mauve or pink, in terminal panicles; inflorescence branches puberulous; pedicel 1 cm long. Calyx tube 1 x 1.3 cm, hemispherical, puberulous, ribbed without; lobes 6, triangular, acute. Petals 6, 4 x 2.5 cm, obovate, clawed, margins crispate. Stamens many, inserted near the base of the calyx tube; filaments exserted. Ovary half inferior, sessile, glabrous, 6-celled, ovules many; style 2 cm long, curved; stigma capitate. Fruit a capsule, 18-30 mm long, ovoid, brown, woody, dehiscent; seeds 10-12 mm long, winged, pale brown.