Crape Myrtles: White Varieties in Full Detail

When the crape myrtles finally come into bloom in the summer months, they are a pleasure to see throughout the south. Identifying the different species of crape myrtles can be a little tricky, but it's not too difficult if you begin by breaking them down by color and then look for other identifying characteristics. Here is some info on five of the more common white crape myrtles.

Acoma

Acoma is one of the most highly recommended white varieties of crape myrtles for urban and suburban area such as road sides and parking lots. This is a medium sized crape myrtle that can grow as tall as twelve feet when raised as a small, upright tree or as short as six feet as a low spreading bush. The crown of an acoma crape myrtle is quite symmetrical with flowers that bloom in asymmetrical white bunches and gently exfoliating bark.

Natchez

Natchez crape myrtles are one of the most popular varieties of white crape myrtles. They are a tall, broad tree that grows from 20-30' in height with a mature width of 20'. The flowers on an Natchez last from June through September with symmetrical comes of attractive white flowers and yellow stamens. Fast Growing Trees Nursery describes the Natchez crape myrtle bark as having an unusual cinnamon color with a "smooth, sleek, distinctive texture." This a hardy variety that is easy to find in nurseries and manages to thrive in city environments with dry, compact soil and poor air quality.

Burgundy Cotton

Burgundy cotton is one of the fastest growing crape myrtles around, stretching as far as five feet per season in ideal conditions. The leaves new growth are characterized by a brilliant wine color that earns this variety of crape myrtle its name. Unlike many crape myrtles, burgundy cottons will keep their flowers from July all the way through the fall until the first hard frost of the winter months. To ensure sturdy growth and healthy blooms, be sure to only fertilize this plant during the spring. Burgundy cottons have smooth bark and grow to a height of around 12'.

Byer's Wonderful White

This hardy cultivar is resistant to both drought and powdery mildew, making it another popular choice for low maintenance urban planting. Depending on how the tree is planted and trained, it can spread anywhere from 3-6' wide and grows from 15-25' tall with a very oval habit. During the fall, Byer's whites have a pleasant orange coloration.

Glendora White

Glendora white crape myrtles grow to a height of around 25' with a rounded crown and a round habit stretching as far as 20' wide. During the summer, the tree has light conical masses of pure white flowers with peach colored stamens that last into the early fall. Bright green foilage turns to shades of golden with the autumn. Glendora whites are typically propagated by cuttings as the flowers produce sterile seeds.

Sources:

http://www.lacebarkinc.com/pat_plants.htm

http://plantanswers.tamu.edu/trees/crapemyrtle/crape_myrtle_varieties.html

http://www.lacebarkinc.com/brouchures/Burgundy05screen+.pdf

http://hort.ufl.edu/shrubs/LAGINDC.PDF

http://www.monrovia.com/learn/plant_catalog/detail.php?id=2012

http://landscaping.about.com/cs/shrubsbushes/p/crape_myrtles.htm

http://www.fast-growing-trees.com/Natchez.htm

http://hort.ufl.edu/trees/LAGXE.pdf