Crapemyrtle, Crape Myrtle, Crepe Myrtle – Which is Correct?

When I exhorted my radio listeners to check out my web pages on how to prune crapemyrtles, several sent plaintive notes that they simply could not find the correct pages on my website.

The reason is that I spell the name of this plant “crapemyrtle” whenever I use it.

I do so because I’m often presented with two or three different spellings of a plant’s name. I need to be consistent… so several years ago, I decided that I would use the spelling that Dr. Mike Dirr uses in his Manual of Woody Plants.

I decided additionally to use the common names that Dr. Allan Armitage uses in his manuals of perennials and annuals.

I know that many people spell it “crape myrtle,” but I have to be consistent somehow.

However, I am always reminded of the quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson:

“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”