Lagerstroemia fauriei

Also known as Japanese Crepe Myrtle, Japanese Crape Myrtle, Yakushima Crepe Myrtle

Japanese crepe myrtles stand out among temperate flowering trees for their smooth, polished cinnamon-brown bark that exfoliates in thin strips to expose creamy underbark beneath. In midsummer, terminal panicles of crisp white blooms blanket the canopy, attracting bees and butterflies until autumn transforms the leaves to vivid orange and red. Native to the damp forests of Yakushima, Japan, this hardy tree supplied crucial powdery-mildew resistance to modern horticultural hybrids worldwide.