Syringa (lilac) is a genus of 12 currently recognized[1] species of flowering woody plants in the olive

family (Oleaceae), native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and
widely and commonly cultivated in temperate areas elsewhere.[2][3][4][5]
The genus is most closely related to Ligustrum (privet), classified with it in Oleaceae tribus Oleeae
subtribus Ligustrinae.[6]
Lilacs are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including copper
underwing, scalloped oak and Svensson's copper underwing.

Contents

 1Description
 2Taxonomy and etymology
 3Cultivation and uses
 4Symbolism
 5Festivals
 6Species
o 6.1Hybrids
 7Gallery
 8References

Description[edit]

Purple lilac bush

They are small trees, ranging in size from 2 to 10 metres (6 ft 7 in to 32 ft 10 in) tall, with stems up to
20 to 30 centimetres (7.9 to 11.8 in) diameter. The leaves are opposite (occasionally in whorls of
three) in arrangement, and their shape is simple and heart-shaped to broad lanceolate in most
species, but pinnate in a few species (e.g. S. protolaciniata, S. pinnatifolia). The flowers are
produced in spring, each flower being 5 to 10 millimetres (0.20 to 0.39 in) in diameter with a four-
lobed corolla, the corolla tube narrow, 5 to 20 millimetres (0.20 to 0.79 in) long; they
are monoecious, with fertile stamens and stigma in each flower. The usual flower colour is a shade
of purple (often a light purple or lilac), but white, pale yellow and pink, and even a dark burgundy
color are also found. The flowers grow in large panicles, and in several species have a strong
fragrance. Flowering varies between mid spring to early summer, depending on the species.
The fruit is a dry, brown capsule, splitting in two at maturity to release the two winged seeds.[3][4][5][7]
Taxonomy and etymology[edit]
The genus Syringa was first formally described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and the description was
published in Species Plantarum.[1][8] The genus name Syringa is derived from Ancient
Greek word syrinx meaning "pipe" or "tube" and refers to the hollow branches of S. vulgaris.[9][10]
The English common name "lilac" is from the French lilac[7][11][12] via the Arabic ‫"( ليلك‬lilak") from Persian
‫"( نیلک‬nilak") meaning "bluish".[13]

Cultivation and uses[edit]

A white, double-flowered cultivar

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Dormant lilac buds
Lilacs are popular shrubs in parks and gardens throughout the temperate zone, and
several hybrids and numerous cultivars have been developed. The term French lilac is often used
to refer to modern double-flowered cultivars, thanks to the work of prolific breeder Victor Lemoine.
Lilacs grow most successfully in well-drained soils, particularly those based on chalk.[14] They flower
on old wood, and produce more flowers if unpruned. If pruned, the plant responds by producing fast-
growing young vegetative growth with no flowers, in an attempt to restore the removed branches.
Lilac bushes can be prone to powdery mildew disease.
The wood of lilac is close-grained, diffuse-porous, extremely hard and one of the densest in Europe.
[citation needed]
 The sapwood is typically cream-coloured and the heartwood has various shades of brown
and purple. Lilac wood has traditionally been used for engraving, musical instruments, knife handles
etc.[citation needed] When drying, the wood has a tendency to be encurved as a twisted material, and to split
into narrow sticks.

Symbolism[edit]
Lilacs are often considered to symbolize love (see language of flowers). In Greece, Lebanon,
and Cyprus, the lilac is strongly associated with Easter time because it flowers around that time; it is
consequently called paschalia.
In the poem "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd", by Walt Whitman, lilacs are a reference
to Abraham Lincoln.
Syringa vulgaris is the state flower of New Hampshire, because it "is symbolic of that hardy
character of the men and women of the Granite State" (New Hampshire Revised Statute Annotated
(RSA) 3:5).

Festivals[edit]
Lilacs as showcased in the Lilac Celebration held each May at the Royal Botanical
Gardens near Hamilton, Ontario in Canada.
Several locations in North America hold annual Lilac Festivals, including:

 The Arnold Arboretum in Boston, Massachusetts, which celebrates "Lilac Sunday" every

May. The Arboretum shows off its collection of over 422 lilac plants, of 194 different varieties.
[15]
 Lilac Sunday is the only day of the year when picnicking is allowed on the grounds of the
Arboretum.
 Lombard, Illinois, called the "Lilac Village", which has an annual lilac festival and parade in
May. The village also contains Lilacia Park, a garden with over 200 varieties of lilacs, as well as
over 50 kinds of tulips.
 Mackinac Island, in Michigan, which celebrates a weeklong lilac festival and lilac parade
each June.
 Rochester, New York, which has held its Lilac Festival since 1898, hosts the longest-running
festival in North America. Held in Highland Park, this celebration features 1,200 shrubs,
representing over 500 varieties, many of which were developed in Rochester. It is the largest
collection of varieties at any single place.
 The Royal Botanical Gardens near Hamilton, Ontario, which holds its Lilac Celebration each
May.
 Spokane, Washington, known as the "Lilac City", which holds an annual lilac festival and lilac
parade.
 Franktown, Ontario, Canada, holds an annual festival.[16]

Species[edit]
Species and subspecies currently accepted as of July 2016:[1][3]

 Syringa emodi Wall. ex Royle – Himalayan lilac - northern India, Pakistan, Tibet, Nepal
 Syringa josikaea J.Jacq. ex Rchb.f. – Hungarian lilac - Carpathian Mountains of Romania
and Ukraine
 Syringa komarowii C.K.Schneid. – nodding lilac - Gansu, Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Yunnan
 Syringa oblata Lindl. – early blooming lilac or broadleaf lilac - Korea, Gansu, Hebei, Henan,
Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan
o Syringa oblata  subsp.  dilatata – Korean early lilac - Nakai - Korea, Jilin, Liaoning
 Syringa pinetorum W.W.Sm. – Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan
 Syringa pinnatifolia Hemsl. – Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan
 Syringa pubescens Turcz. – Korea, Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Jilin, Liaoning, Ningxia,
Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan
 Syringa reticulata (Blume) H.Hara (syn. S. pekinensis) – Japanese tree lilac - Primorye,
Japan, Korea, Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia,
Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan
 Syringa tomentella Bureau & Franch. – Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan
 Syringa villosa Vahl – villous lilac - Primorye, Korea, Hebei, Shanxi, Heilongjiang, Jilin,
Liaoning
 Syringa vulgaris L. – common lilac - native to Balkans; naturalized in western and central
Europe, and many scattered locations in North America [17]
Hybrids[edit]
 S. × diversifolia (S.  S.  ×  laciniata (S. protolaciniata × S. vulgaris) – cut-leaf
oblata × S. pinnatifolia) lilac or cutleaf lilac
 S. × henryi (S.  S.  ×  persica L. (syn Syringa protolaciniata) – Persian
josikaea × S. villosa) lilac - Afghanistan, Pakistan, western Himalayas, Gansu,
 S. × hyacinthiflora (S. Qinghai
oblata × S. vulgaris)  S. × prestoniae (S. komarowii × S. villosa)
 S. × josiflexa (S.  S. × swegiflexa (S. komarowii × S. sweginzowii)
josikaea × S. komarowii)

Gallery[edit]


Syringa microphylla
 

Syringa emodi flowers
 
 

Syringa vulgaris 'Sarah Sands'

 

Syringa meyeri 'Palibin'
 

Syringa 'Pamyat o Vekhove'

 

White Syringa
 
 

Siryngarium with trees in blossom

 

Syringa 'Pavlinka'
 

Syringa 'Oberon'
 

A double-flowered Syringa vulgaris cultivar

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b c d "Syringa". World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP). Royal Botanic
Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2 July  2016.
2. ^ Flora Europaea: Syringa
3. ^ Jump up to:a b c Flora of China: 丁香属  ding xiang shu  Syringa
4. ^ Jump up to:a b Flora of Pakistan: Syringa
5. ^ Jump up to:a b Germplasm Resources Information Network: Syringa Archived 21 January 2009 at
the Wayback Machine
6. ^ University of Oxford, Oleaceae information site: New classification of the Oleaceae
7. ^ Jump up to:a b Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN 0-333-
47494-5.
8. ^ Linnaeus, Carl (1 May 1753). Species Plantarum. London. p. 9. Retrieved 1 July  2016.
9. ^ Jensen, Bo.  "Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)". Bo Jensen:Essential Oils. Retrieved  1 July 2016.
10. ^ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=syringe
11. ^ http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=lilac
12. ^ Vedel, H., & Lange, J. (1960). Trees and Bushes in Wood and Hedgerow. Metheun & Co.
Ltd., London.
13. ^ etymonline.com
14. ^ Hillier Nurseries, The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs, David and Charles, 1998,
p659 ISBN 0-7153-0808-4
15. ^ Harvard.edu
16. ^ "Franktown Lilac Festival". Lanark County Tourism. Retrieved  8 July 2012.
17. ^ Biota of North America Program county distribution map, Syringa vulgaris