Lagerstroemia villosa Wall. ex Kurz, J. Asiat. Soc. Bengal, Pt. 2, Nat. Hist. 42: 234 (1873)

Species name meaning 'long hairy', reffering to most parts of the plant being whitish hairy.

Synonyms
Murtughas villosa (Wall. ex Kurz) Kuntze

Description
Trees, 10-15[-30] m tall. Bark dark, roughly fissured; branchlets, both surfaces of leaves, and inflorescence white pubescent. Petiole 2-4[-6] mm; leaf blade ovate to broadly lanceolate or elliptic, 6-10 x 2.5-4 cm, papery to leathery, abaxially soft whitish puberulous when young, glabrescent except on veins, lateral veins [5 or]6[-8] pairs, base subacute to rounded, apex acute to shortly acuminate, sometimes mucronate. Panicles 3[-8] cm, nearly globose, densely flowered. Floral tube 5- or 6-merous, 4-5 mm, densely white pubescent, with 5 or 6 prominent undulate winged ribs; wings attenuate on pedicellate floral base; sepals 1.5-2.5 mm, glabrous or slightly granular at apex; annulus absent; epicalyx absent. Petals white, lanceolate, 1.5-3 mm, not crumpled, much shorter than floral tube, possibly sometimes missing, not or scarcely clawed. Stamens ca. 25, dimorphic. Ovary glabrous. Capsules subglobose to narrowly ovoid-oblong, 1.5(-2.2) x ca. 1.1 cm, 3- or 4-valved. Seeds including wing (3.5-)9-10 mm. [from Flora of China]

Ecology
In forests up to 1000 m elevation.

Uses

Distribution
Sri Lanka and India into southern China and Indochina.

Local names
China: Mao zi wei.