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''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering woody plants in the olive family or
Oleaceae Oleaceae, also known as the olive family, is a taxonomic family of flowering shrubs, trees, and a few lianas in the order Lamiales, It presently comprises 28 genera, one of which is recently extinct.Peter S. Green. 2004. "Oleaceae". pages 296-306 ...
called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
to eastern
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
, and widely and commonly cultivated in temperate areas elsewhere.Flora Europaea
''Syringa''
/ref>Flora of China
丁香属 ding xiang shu ''Syringa''
/ref>Flora of Pakistan
''Syringa''
/ref>Germplasm Resources Information Network
''Syringa''
The genus is most closely related to '' Ligustrum'' (privet), classified with it in Oleaceae tribus Oleeae subtribus Ligustrinae.University of Oxford, Oleaceae information site
New classification of the Oleaceae
/ref> Lilacs are used as food plants by the
larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...
e of some moth species, including copper underwing, scalloped oak and Svensson's copper underwing.


Description

They are small
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
s, ranging in size from tall, with stems up to diameter. The leaves are opposite (occasionally in whorls of three) in
arrangement In music, an arrangement is a musical adaptation of an existing composition. Differences from the original composition may include reharmonization, melodic paraphrasing, orchestration, or formal development. Arranging differs from orche ...
, and their
shape A shape or figure is a graphical representation of an object or its external boundary, outline, or external surface, as opposed to other properties such as color, texture, or material type. A plane shape or plane figure is constrained to lie ...
is simple and heart-shaped to broad lanceolate in most species, but
pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, an ...
in a few species (e.g. ''S. protolaciniata, S. pinnatifolia'').


Flowers

The
flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...
s are produced in spring, each flower being in diameter with a four-lobed
corolla Corolla may refer to: *Corolla (botany), the petals of a flower, considered as a unit *Toyota Corolla, an automobile model name *Corolla (headgear) A ''corolla'' is an ancient headdress in the form of a small circlet or crown.monoecious Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system alongside gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy. Monoecy is ...
, with fertile
stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the fila ...
s 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
panicle A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...
s, and in several species have a strong fragrance. Flowering varies between mid spring to early summer, depending on the species.


Fruit

The
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...
is a dry, brown capsule, splitting in two at maturity to release the two winged
seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...
s.


Etymology

The English common name "lilac" is from the French ''lilac''Vedel, H., & Lange, J. (1960). ''Trees and Bushes in Wood and Hedgerow''. Metheun & Co. Ltd., London. via the ar, لِيلَك, līlak from fa, ليلنج, lilanj meaning the indigo plant or ''nilak'' meaning "bluish"; both ''lilanj'' and ''nilak'' come from Persian ''nīl'' "
indigo Indigo is a deep color close to the color wheel blue (a primary color in the RGB color space), as well as to some variants of ultramarine, based on the ancient dye of the same name. The word "indigo" comes from the Latin word ''indicum'', ...
" or ''nili'' "dark blue".


Taxonomy

The genus Syringa was first formally described in 1753 by
Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...
and the description was published in ''
Species Plantarum ' (Latin for "The Species of Plants") is a book by Carl Linnaeus, originally published in 1753, which lists every species of plant known at the time, classified into genera. It is the first work to consistently apply binomial names and was the ...
''. The genus name ''Syringa'' is derived from
Ancient Greek Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...
word ''syrinx'' meaning "pipe" or "tube" and refers to the hollow branches of '' S. vulgaris''.
Plants of the World Online Plants of the World Online (POWO) is an online database published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was launched in March 2017 with the ultimate aim being "to enable users to access information on all the world's known seed-bearing plants by ...
lists Syringa as a heterotypic
synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are al ...
of
Philadelphus ''Philadelphus'' () (mock-orange) is a genus of about 60 species of shrubs from 3–20 ft (1–6 m) tall, native to North America, Central America, Asia and (locally) in southeast Europe. They are named "mock-orange" in reference to their ...
.


Cultivation and uses

Lilacs are popular shrubs in
park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. ...
s and
garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...
s throughout the temperate zone, and several hybrids and numerous
cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
s 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. 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. 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. When drying, the wood has a tendency to encurve into a twisted form and to split into narrow sticks.


Symbolism

Lilacs are often considered to symbolize first love. In
Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders wi ...
, Macedonia,
Lebanon Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus lie ...
, and
Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is ...
, the lilac is strongly associated with
Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samue ...
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 Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among ...
, lilacs are a reference to
Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation throu ...
. ''Syringa vulgaris'' is the state flower of
New Hampshire New Hampshire is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
, because it "is symbolic of that hardy character of the men and women of the Granite State."


Festivals

Several locations in North America hold annual Lilac Festivals, including: * The Arnold Arboretum in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
,
Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...
, which celebrates "Lilac Sunday" every May. The Arboretum shows off its collection of over 422 lilac plants, of 194 different varieties. 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 Lilacia Park, an garden, is located at 150 South Park Avenue, Lombard, Illinois, behind the Helen M. Plum Memorial Library. It specializes in lilacs and tulips. It is open to the public daily. The garden was established by Colonel William Plum an ...
, a garden with over 200 varieties of lilacs, as well as over 50 kinds of tulips. *
Mackinac Island Mackinac Island ( ; french: Île Mackinac; oj, Mishimikinaak ᒥᔑᒥᑭᓈᒃ; otw, Michilimackinac) is an island and resort area, covering in land area, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The name of the island in Odawa is Michilimackinac ...
, in
Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...
, which celebrates a weeklong lilac festival and lilac parade each June. *
Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
, 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 Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilto ...
,
Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, which holds its Lilac Celebration each May. *
Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the ...
, known as the "Lilac City", which holds an annual lilac festival and lilac parade. * Franktown, Ontario, Canada, holds an annual festival.


Species

Species and subspecies currently accepted as of July 2016: *'' Syringa emodi'' Wall. ex Royle – Himalayan lilac - northern India, Pakistan, Tibet, Nepal *''
Syringa josikaea ''Syringa josikaea'', the Hungarian lilac, is a species of lilac, native to central and eastern Europe, in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania and western Ukraine.Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and Europe''. Collins .Flora Europaea' ...
'' 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 ''Syringa oblata''The Plant List http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-356313Fiala, John L. "Lilacs: a gardener's encyclopedia", 2nd ed. copyright Timber Press 2008. rev. and updated by Freek Vrugtman. First ed. published 1988, copyright ...
'' Lindl. – early blooming lilac or broadleaf lilac - Korea, Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Jilin, Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan **'' ''Syringa oblata'' subsp. ''dilatata'' – Korean early lilac - Nakai - Korea, Jilin, Liaoning *'' Syringa pinetorum'' W.W.Sm. – Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan *''
Syringa pinnatifolia ''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering plant, flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and wid ...
'' Hemsl. – Gansu, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Sichuan *''
Syringa pubescens ''Syringa pubescens'' is a species of flowering plant in the lilac genus of the family Oleaceae, native to Korea and China ( Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Jilin, Liaoning, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan). Growin ...
'' Turcz. – Korea, Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Jilin, Liaoning, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan *''
Syringa reticulata ''Syringa reticulata'', the Japanese tree lilac. is a species of flowering plant in the family Oleaceae native to eastern Asia, which is grown as an ornamental in Europe and North America. Description It is a deciduous small tree growing to a he ...
'' (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 ''Syringa tomentella''The Plant List http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/kew-356294Fiala, John L. "Lilacs: a gardener's encyclopedia", 2nd ed. copyright Timber Press 2008. rev. and updated by Freek Vrugtman. First ed. published 1988, copyri ...
'' Bureau & Franch. – Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan *''
Syringa villosa ''Syringa villosa'', the villous lilac, is a shrub native to Korea, the southern part of the Russian Far East (Primorye) and northern China. There are two subspecies currently recognized (April 2014); these are regarded as separate species in ...
'' 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 AmericaBiota of North America Program county distribution map, Syringa vulgaris
/ref>


Hybrids

* ''S.'' × ''chinensis'' (''S. vulgaris'' × ''S. persica'') *''S.'' × ''diversifolia'' (''S. oblata'' × ''S. pinnatifolia'') *''S.'' × ''henryi'' (''S. josikaea'' × ''S. villosa'') *''S.'' × ''hyacinthiflora'' (''S. oblata'' × ''S. vulgaris'') *''S.'' × ''josiflexa'' (''S. josikaea'' × ''S. komarowii'') * ''S.'' × ''laciniata'' (''S. protolaciniata'' × ''S. vulgaris'') – cut-leaf lilac or cutleaf lilac * ''S.'' × ''persica'' L. (syn ''Syringa protolaciniata'') – Persian lilac - Afghanistan, Pakistan, western Himalayas, Gansu, Qinghai *''S.'' × ''prestoniae'' (''S. komarowii'' × ''S. villosa'') *''S.'' × ''swegiflexa'' (''S. komarowii'' × ''S. sweginzowii'')


Gallery

File:Syringa microphylla C.jpg, ''Syringa microphylla'' File:Syringa emodi 002.jpg, ''Syringa emodi'' flowers File:Syringa vulgaris Sarah Sands.jpg, ''Syringa vulgaris'' 'Sarah Sands' File:Syringa meyeri Palibin.jpg, ''Syringa meyeri'' 'Palibin' File:Syringa 'Pamyat o Vekhove' 01.jpg, Syringa 'Pamyat o Vekhove' File:Ab plant 487.jpg, White syringa File:Šeřík1.jpg, Syringarium with trees in blossom File:Syringa 'Pavlinka' 03.JPG, Syringa 'Pavlinka' File:Syringa 'Oberon' 01.JPG, Syringa 'Oberon' File:Lilacs 2.jpg, A double-flowered ''Syringa vulgaris'' cultivar


References

{{Authority control Garden plants Shrubs Oleaceae genera