Lagerstroemia Microcarpa at Palchuram, Kottiyoor, Kerala
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കോലത്ത്നാട്Lagerstroemia Microcarpa at Palchuram, Kottiyoor, Kerala
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കോലത്ത്നാട്Lagerstroemia Microcarpa
The Western Ghats mountain range is a rich biodiversity hotspot and many of the trees seen here are
endemic. A notable one is Lagerstroemia microcapa, a large deciduous tree inhabiting the moist and
dry deciduous forests. It forms the prominent part of the dry deciduous forests in which its major
associations are Terminalia elliptica, Anogeissus latifolia and Shorea robusta and its major
associations in the moist deciduous forests include Terminalia bellerica, Dalbergia latifolia and Xylia
xylocarpa. Occasionally it is found along the margins of semi-evergreen forests. It attains a height of
more than 30 meters and a girth of 2 to 3 meters. This tree is easily distinguishable by its bark which
peels off in large papery flakes. It is drought resistant and prefers soil with good water drainage. L.
microcarpa also prefers areas with good sunshine. It is useful to humans in many ways: its leaves are
used as fodder for goat, its wood provides excellent timber and the tree is also used to provide shade
to coffee plants. L. microcarpa has a range spreading the entire length and width of the Western
Ghats and can tolerate all kinds of soils in elevations upto 1200 meters above mean sea level.
Lagerstroemia microcarpa is known as Nana in Marathi, Nandi in Kannada and Venthekku and
Vellilavu in Malayalam. The tree is present in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil
Nadu. It is the dominant tree in the Nagarhole National Park and Bandipur National Park of Karnataka
and Mudumalai Tiger Reserve of Tamil Nadu, all of which are part of the Nilgiri Boisphere Reserve.
Lagerstroemia microcarpa at Palchuram, Kottiyoor, Kerala
Features
L. microcarpa has resemblance to its close relatives like Lagerstroemia speciosa and Lagerstroemia
parviflora in terms of its fruit and leaf properties. An adult tree has a long cylindrical bole which is
branchless for about a height of 15 meters. Buttressing and fluting are also not prevalent in L.
macrocarpa, though very large trees occasionally have buttresses. Branch abscission is a well-known
feature of the tree. It sometimes has stumps on the main stem and branches. The tree has greyish
white or yellowish white colour and young branches are white coloured with a reddish tinge. L.
microcarpa is a slow growing tree and does not shed its bark in its initial years. Adult trees remain
leafless for long periods in the dry season. It doesn’t need much sunshine during its first year of
growth but later it is light demanding. The leaves of L. microcarpa are either elliptic or ovate in shape
and the margin is entire. The leaves are glabrous and shining. In the wild the leaves of young plants
are eaten by deer.
Leaves of L. microcarpa
Image Credit: Vinayaraj, Wikimedia Commons
Flowers are bisexual, white in colour and appear in axillary and terminal panicles. There are 6 petals,
each 3 mm long; stamens are numerous and are inserted at the base of calyx tube; filaments long
exserted; ovary half interior, glabrous, 4-6 valved; ovules many; style long and curved; stigma
capitate. Flowering starts during the month of June and fruits ripen by February. Fruit is an ovoid
capsule with 4-6 valves and contains numerous falcately winged seeds which are brown in colour.
The seeds fall off when the capsules dehisce and are carried away by the wind to some distance from
the parent tree.
Dried fruits of Lagerstroemia microcarpa
A seed of L. microcarpa
Medium sized tree from Iritty, Kerala
Regeneration
Natural regeneration of Lagerstroemia microcarpa is very low and in its habitat young plants are
almost absent. The high unviability of seeds is a major reason for the low regeneration. Besides these
frequent forest fires also affect the regeneration. Regeneration studies on L. microcarpa has shown a
low germination rate of less than 20 % in nurseries.
Germinating seeds of Lagerstroemia microcarpa
Germinating seed of L. microcarpa with emerging cotyledons
Seedling with cotyledons
