Photo of leafy shoots bearing bright orange-red flowers. The leathery hypanthium and short, triangular sepals are visible, as are the crumpled, wrinkled petals. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

I’ll close out Lythraceae week with pomegranate, a fruit that has been used symbolically & materially for millennia. It is often cultivated not for its fruits but for its vibrant orange-red flowers. The cultivar ‘Nana’ is a dwarf that comes true from seed. #Lythraceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of a leafy shoot bearing many small white flowers. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Photo of the hands and forearms of a woman. The tops of her fingers, hands, wrists and lower forearms are decorated with a reddish-brown ornate design. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Henna is derived from Lawsonia inermis. The colorant is lawsone, a naphthoquinone, which is also found in the fruits of Juglans (#Juglandaceae). Henna has been used for hair dye & body decoration (mehndi, or henna tattoo) for centuries. #Lythraceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of a small plant covered in small, tubular, orange flowers with exserted stigmas. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Cuphea is a genus of tropical plants. Some of its species rely on hummingbirds for pollination. They typically have long tubular hypanthia, which are brightly colored. Many are cultivated as ornamentals, like this one, Cuphea ignea. #Lythraceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Close-up photo of a single flower. The white flower is large, radially symmetrical and has visible nectaries between the whorl of many stamens and style. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Another tropical Lythraceae of note is Duabanga grandiflora, a tree with large flowers pollinated by bats! 🦇 Bats are big pollinators. They need a decent reward if they’re going to work as pollinators. Check out all the hard-working nectaries just inside the stamen whorl. #Lythraceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of leafy shoots bearing clusters of large, purple flowers with masses of yellow stamens in the center. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Photo of the inflorescence bearing dozens of large crape-myrtle-like flowers. Some flowers are a dark purplish pink; others are white, and many are shades in between. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

These tropical species of Lagerstroemia are cultivated in warm climates. The 1st photo is Lagerstroemia speciosa. Aptly named. Huge flowers. The 2nd photo is Lagerstroemia floribunda var. cuspidata, which has flowers that change color with age (or pollination status?). #Lythraceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of a leafy shoot bearing clusters of white flowers. Like crape myrtle, they have five, crisped, clawed petals. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Photo of the many stems of a multi-trunked tree. The stems are attractively mottled with reddish-brown and tan. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Crape myrtle is (too) common in cultivation, but there are 48 other species in the genus, few of which are cultivated. Some are hardy & have been used in breeding, like this Lagerstroemia subcostata var. fauriei of Japan. It has outstanding bark & charming white flowers. #Lythraceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Close-up photo of a single flower with white, crisped petals. There are outer stamens as described and a mass of inner stamens, which are bright yellow. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

We all love the showy flowers of crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), but if you look closely, you’ll see two kinds of stamens. The 6, long, outer stamens produce dark fertile pollen. The inner, showy stamens produce infertile yellow pollen as a reward for pollinators. #Lythraceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of the base of a tree trunk. The roots extending out into the surrounding soil appear to have fused to form a solid plate of woody tissue. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) has an interesting feature: Old trees form a woody boss at the base. (It reminds me of the lignotubers I’ve seen on fire-resprouting chaparral plants from California.) The species is from SE Asia but not from fire-prone habitats. #Lythraceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of a shrub with dark, brownish-green leaves and terminal clusters of bright, cherry-red flowers. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

This week: Lythraceae, a worldwide family of herbs & trees. They have hypanthia, petals crumpled in bud & inferior ovaries. Crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) is a popular summer-flowering tree in the South. ‘Cherry Mocha’ is a cultivar with dark leaves & red flowers. #Lythraceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

At night, two trees in the foreground, well branched below, have crowns covered in well lit, deep red/pink flowers. Behind is a reflective pool and white neon strips in an urban setting

The crepe myrtles in front of the Chinese Garden of Friendship seem late this year. Just me being impatient for blooms
#Lagerstroemia indica
#Lythraceae
#sydney #garden #PublicPlanting #FlowerReport #flowers #BloomScrolling #tree #trees #UrbanGarden #UrbanPlanting 🌱

Photo of a pomegranate cut in cross-section to reveal the 7 locules (like 7 segments in a citrus fruit) that are filled by intruded parietal placentae. The seeds are attached to the placentae.

The #placentation of pomegranate (Punica granatum; #Lythraceae) looks complex, but look closely to see the 7 locules divided by paper-thin septa. Each locule is filled by an intruded parietal placenta bearing numerous seeds (= mature ovules). 📷: Jay Peg CC BY-NC 2 #Botany #PlantScience 🌾🧪