The Crape Myrtle was introduced to the US over 150 years ago from China, Japan and Southeast Asia. In 1998 Dr. Carl Whitcomb developed the Red Rocket Crape Myrtle, which is known for its prolific production deep red flowers. Each cluster within the Red Rocket Crape Myrtle has hundreds of red flowers and each cluster can be up to 24″ long. The Red Rocket has a very broad with small alternate leaves that are rounded at the base and are 1” to 2” long. Red Rocket produce new growth with red leaves in the spring and as the leaves mature they turn into a green color, which then turn an orange-red color in the fall. Each summer the Red Rocket exfoliates its gray-brown colored bark in thin strips to expose a smooth and light brown colored bark. The Red Rocket Crape Myrtle is adaptable to a wide range of soil types, very drought tolerant and has a high resistance to powdery mildew and anthracnose.