[Umbrian]

I am not too hopeful over this request as the photo is not good. It was sent to me by a friend and reducing it did not help. I have never seen anything like it and am at a total loss but thought one of our experts might recognise the general form of it, leaves and flowers and put me on the right path 🤔

[John J]

Carole, as you say the photo is a bit small and zooming in on it does not help the quality. I can only suggest that you take a look at the varieties of Lagerstroemia if you haven't already done so.

[Umbrian]

Further investigations through my friend have led us to believe it is a Polygala - possibly myrtifolia or dalmaisiana....Polygala are sold extensively here in the spring as small shrubs already in flower but I have never seen one grown as a standard/ small tree.
Thanks for your interest John - your suggestion had crossed my mind especially because of the colour of the flowers but the form was wrong.

[John J]

Thea suggested Polygala but to me the flower colour looks too dark, but that could be the photo, and the way they are opening in bunches also looks wrong. They can grow as standards and even small trees, we had 2 but I had to cut one down as it got too large and outgrew its space. I'd need to see a close up of the flowers to be sure.

[Umbrian]

Yes the arrangement of the flowers does seem a bit at odds with Polygala but as for the colour I think that is just the photo - we all know how photo colours can vary a great deal from the actual colour of the plant. The flowers themselves do look right when I zoomed in on one. Interesting to learn they can be grown as standards - something the Italian growers love to to.
Thanks for your interest and comments John and Charithea.