Lagerstroemia indica Black Solitaire Red Hot - Crape Myrtle

Lagerstroemia indica Black Solitaire or Black Diamond 'Red Hot', from the astonishing series of Indian Myrtles Black Diamond with almost black foliage, carries clusters of pure red crinkled flowers, a colour all the more brilliant under the midsummer sun as it bursts like a firework against its very dark foliage.  Like all Black Solitaire varieties, this Lagerstroemia is more resistant to powdery mildew, and it tolerates both cold and moderate periods or drought well. Summer Lilacs are also appreciated for their richly coloured bark which is ornamental all year round. This one, with moderate growth, is suitable for small gardens and pots. 

Lagerstroemia indica Black Solitaire 'Red Hot' is part of a series of hybrids carefully selected in Texas from the 'EBONY' varieties, characterised by very dark foliage.  Not exceeding 3 m (9 ft 10 in) in height, these Indian myrtles also stand out for their fairly rapid growth and their ease of cultivation in any well-drained soil.

'Red Hot' belongs to the Lythraceae family, like the Lagerstroemia indica, from which it originates and is native to China. This shrub has a bushy and branched habit from the base, with a slightly erect crown. It will reach on average 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in), rarely 3 m (9 ft 10 in, in height at maturity, with a diameter of 2 m. Its growth is quite rapid. Depending on the climate, it chooses the end of July to start flowering, which will continue until September. The inflorescences are groups of thin pedicels each bearing five petals with a very undulate edge, the texture of which look like that of crepe. They are gathered in dense panicles, at the end of this year's branches.

In 'Red Hot', the pedicels and floral buds are a very dark purplish-brown, then the floral buds open widely into red flowers slightly fading to pink at maturity. The centre of the flowers is highlighted by fine golden yellow stamens. The deciduous foliage retains its very dark burgundy-chocolate-violet colour from spring to summer, then takes on more purplish hues in autumn, before falling. It is composed of small ovate and pointed leaves which are slightly undulate. Finally, and to complete its beauty, its beautiful bark is smooth, beige and striated with brown-red, and flakes to display cinnamon, faded red, old pink, cream marbling.

Indian myrtles are the glory of gardens. Preferring the humid and warm climate, it is a small tree that can also to be acclimatised in a colder area as it can also be quite hardy.  Enjoy it as a specimen shrub near the house. It will look good in a shrub bed, a flowering hedge, or emerging from a clump of perennials. Mix into a flowering bed with Campanula pyramidalis, Salvia sclarea or jamensis and Aster laevis. In autumn, it works well with Cotinus and deciduous spindle trees, with all their colour. It also creates a lovely display in a large pot on the patio, when other summer flowering plants are slowing down. Display this plant, Lagerstroemia indica Black Solitaire Lilac with a wonderful carpet of Stachys byzantina, Nepeta mussini and other silver creeping plants weaving like a tapestry around the base of its trunk, highlighting its bark and reflecting the beauty of its bark, its black foliage and its red flowers. 

NB: Karl Von Linne named this tree to honour his friend Magnus Von Lagestroem (1696 – 1759), who had sent it to him from India for identification. Originally, this tree was used to decorate Chinese temples. We would like to point out that this tree produces fruits that have are poisonous if ingested.