This tree is a certified direct descendant of a Crepe Myrtle on the grounds of Montpelier (in Orange County, VA), home of our 4th president James Madison and his wife Dolley.
Madison is considered the Father of America’s Constitution and Bill of Rights. Dolley championed bipartisan cooperation in an age when politicians sometimes physically assaulted one another, and she also saved the White House’s classic portrait of George Washington from destruction in a fire.
Crepe Myrtle, a native of China and Korea, was introduced to Charleston SC in 1790. It is typically a multi-trunked tree or large shrub. This specimen was planted in 1999.
This amazing species, with its long-lasting flowers and attractive bark, is so versatile that landscapers can shape it as either a tidy street tree or a dense barrier hedge.
