A Favorite SC Tree...But Not a Palmetto?

The Crepe Myrtle

What? But it's not even native to Myrtle Beach, SC!


       Native to eastern Asia, the Lagerstroemia, or Crepe Myrtle, came into the United States through Charleston, SC, in the late 1780s through the early to late 1790s, according to John Barrat of the Smithsonian. They did well in the warm, humid climate (similar to that of their native area), and as a result, spread all over the Southeast. That being said, they are an absolute staple of the South Carolina landscape with their many shapes and sizes, whether just a shrub or a full-blown tree, and their pink, purple, red, or white conical blooms.

Pros and Cons of the Crepe Myrtle

Ugh, is this another kudzu situation?

       According to John Barrat of the Smithsonian, with these trees individually producing a few pounds of seed each year, native birds have quickly added it to their diet, and in this way, it has had a positive impact on the ecosystem. Crepe Myrtles are fairly temperature and drought-resistant, so they can be consistently depended on by many species of birds as a food source. Furthermore, the Crepe Myrtle is an excellent shade tree and is used frequently in landscaping throughout SC and the greater Southeast.
       That being said, as a non-native species, they bring non-native pests along with them. Crepe Myrtles are notorious for being plagued by the aphid known as the Tinocallis kahawalukalani and Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica). Thankfully, these pests generally manage to stay in their lane. Any non-native plant can be considered invasive, as it is bound to deprive native plants of some amount of resources. However, the Crepe Myrtle is generally regarded as a neutral addition to the Southeast's ecosystem, if nothing else, adding aesthetic appeal. All this information and more can be found on Coastal Carolina University's Crape Myrtle Arboretum page.






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Kudzu: The Big Green Monster

Image
A Common Sight What's all that green stuff over there?        It sprawls alongside highways. It carpets entire swaths of forestry. It's everywhere, and it's important enough that in my third-grade South Carolina musical, we sang an entire song about it. It's Kudzu.       What began as a decorative plant native to Asia has ended in the harmful consumption of much of the American Southeast's natural environment: Kudzu is a vine that, "[o] nce established, [...] grows at a rate of one foot per day..." according to The Nature Conservancy . This quality has naturally lent itself to a fast and far spread, depicted in the graphic below, but it begs the question: How exactly did kudzu go from being an exotic porch plant to an invasive species?  https://www.aces.edu/blog/topics/forestry-wildlife/the-history-and-use-of-kudzu-in-the-southeastern-united-states/ Kudzu in America How did it get here?        The Forestry and Wildlife section...
Read more

The Iconic Carolina Wren

Image
Background Common throughout the southeast, but special to one state.        If you grew up in South Carolina, there's one thing you never failed to hear in the mornings. Perhaps it drove you crazy, or was a comforting component of your childhood soundscape. Regardless of your personal feelings towards the fairly incessant call of the state's official bird, it is undoubtedly an ever-present part of South Carolina's environment.         If you are unfamiliar with the Carolina Wren song, think you might know it but are not quite sure, or want to be reminded, you can find examples at Cornell Lab's All About Birds  Carolina Wren Sounds . What is the Carolina Wren up to? Where does the Carolina Wren go? What are its habits?  Carolina Wrens are non-migratory birds, and they mate for life, so they are fairly stationary. Their habitat encompasses the entirety of the American southeast and even stretches into South America.   ...
Read more

A Cooky Coastal Creature

Image
 The Lettered Olive It's hard to see, but it's there.        The Lettered Olive, or Oliva sayana ,  is a predatory snail (the picture you see on the left is its shell, the picture you see on the right is the mollusk component with  the shell), and South Carolina's state shell! The Lettered Olive looks like an ancient creature, especially considering that it gets its name from markings that bear similarities to Egyptian hieroglyphics — but it wasn't discovered until 1834 by Dr. Edmund Ravenel, a native Charlestonian. While they are common in SC, they are not just found along one state's coast. Rather, they are native to the entire West Atlantic coast.        The Lettered Olive shell is special to many collectors because of its high luster (which comes from the snail's shell-building tissue), and is a fun find or those who engage in shelling! I grew up with shell display cases around the house (see picture below), because my mother w...
Read more