Genus of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae
Syringa
is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of
flowering
woody plants
in the olive family or
Oleaceae
[1]
called
lilacs
. These lilacs are 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 moth species, including lilac leaf mining moth,
[7]
privet hawk moth
,
[8]
copper underwing
,
scalloped oak
and
Svensson's copper underwing
.
Description
[
edit
]
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
).
[9]
Flowers
[
edit
]
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.
[3]
[4]
[5]
[10]
One particular cultivar, trademark
Bloomerang
, first blooms in spring and then again late summer through fall.
[11]
[12]
Fruit
[
edit
]
The
fruit
is a dry, brown
capsule
, splitting in two at maturity to release the two winged
seeds
.
[3]
[4]
[5]
[10]
Etymology
[
edit
]
The English common name "lilac" is from the French
lilac
[10]
[13]
[14]
via the
Arabic
:
??????
,
romanized
:
l?lak
from
Persian
:
?????
,
romanized
:
lilanj
meaning the
indigo plant
[15]
or
????
nilak
meaning "bluish";
[13]
both
lilanj
and
nilak
come from Persian
???
n?l
"
indigo
" or
????
nili
"dark blue".
[15]
Taxonomy
[
edit
]
The genus Syringa was first formally described in 1753 by
Carl Linnaeus
and the description was published in
Species Plantarum
.
[16]
[17]
The genus name
Syringa
is derived from
Ancient Greek
word
syrinx
meaning "pipe" or "tube" and refers to the hollow branches of
S. vulgaris
.
[18]
[19]
Homonym
Syringa
Tourn. ex Adans.
is a heterotypic
synonym
of
Philadelphus
.
[16]
Cultivation and uses
[
edit
]
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.
[20]
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.
Lilac wood is not commonly used or commercially harvested due to the small size of the tree.
[21]
It is a relatively hard wood, with an estimated
Janka hardness
of 2,350 lbf (10,440 N), and is reportedly good for
woodturning
[21]
The sapwood is typically cream-coloured and the heartwood can have various streaks of brown and purple.
[21]
Species have been historically used in various traditional medicines in Asia for treating ailments including cough, diarrhea, acute icteric hepatitis, vomiting, abdominal pain, and bronchitis.
[22]
Compounds isolated from species of
Syringa
include
phenylpropanoids
such as
syringin
and
iridoids
such as
oleuropein
.
[22]
Substituent compounds, such as iridoids, as well as crude extracts from
Syringa
plants have been shown to have to have effects including antitumor, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antifungal activities in pharmacological studies.
[23]
Symbolism
[
edit
]
Lilacs are often considered to symbolize first love.
[24]
In
Greece
,
Macedonia
,
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
.
The music-hall song by
Ivor Novello
,
We'll Gather Lilacs
, first performed in 1945, speaks of the longing of two lovers to be reunited in a traditional English rural setting. It has since been recorded and performed by numerous artists.
[25]
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."
[26]
Festivals
[
edit
]
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.
[27]
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, known as the Lilac Capital of Canada, holds an annual festival. With drystone masonry demonstrations and horse pulled wagon rides.
[28]
- Calgary
, Alberta, Canada holds an annual one-day
Lilac Festival
, which is primarily a street festival.
Species
[
edit
]
Species and subspecies currently accepted as of July 2016:
[16]
[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
- 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
[29]
Hybrids
[
edit
]
- 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
[
edit
]
-
Syringa microphylla
-
Syringa emodi
flowers
-
Syringa vulgaris
'Sarah Sands'
-
Syringa meyeri
'Palibin'
-
Syringa 'Pamyat o Vekhove'
-
White syringa
-
Syringarium with trees in blossom
-
Syringa 'Pavlinka'
-
Syringa 'Oberon'
-
A double-flowered
Syringa vulgaris
cultivar
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"
Syringa
L. Sp. Pl. : 9 (1753)"
.
World Flora Online
. World Flora Consortium. 2022
. Retrieved
10 December
2022
.
- ^
Flora Europaea:
Syringa
- ^
a
b
c
d
Flora of China:
丁香?
ding xiang shu
Syringa
- ^
a
b
c
Flora of Pakistan:
Syringa
- ^
a
b
c
Germplasm Resources Information Network:
Syringa
Archived
21 January 2009 at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
University of Oxford, Oleaceae information site:
New classification of the Oleaceae
- ^
"Lilac leaf mining moth / RHS Gardening"
.
www.rhs.org.uk
. Retrieved
12 May
2024
.
- ^
"Privet Hawk-moth"
.
butterfly-conservation.org
. Retrieved
12 May
2024
.
- ^
"Lilac | Description, Major Species, Varieties, & Facts | Britannica"
.
www.britannica.com
. Retrieved
13 May
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
Huxley, A., ed. (1992).
New RHS Dictionary of Gardening
. London, United Kingdom: Macmillan.
ISBN
0-333-47494-5
.
- ^
"Growing lilacs for Minnesota landscapes"
.
- ^
https://www.gardenia.net/plant/syringa-bloomerang-purple
- ^
a
b
"Origin and meaning of lilac"
.
Online Etymology Dictionary
. 6 July 2017.
- ^
Vedel, H., & Lange, J. (1960).
Trees and Bushes in Wood and Hedgerow
. Metheun & Co. Ltd., London.
- ^
a
b
Aryavand, Ahmad; Grami, Bahram (29 June 2015).
"Lilac"
.
Encyclopaedia Iranica
(online ed.). Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation
. Retrieved
10 December
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
"
Syringa
Tourn. ex Adans"
.
Plants of the World Online
.
Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
. 2022
. Retrieved
10 December
2022
.
- ^
Linnaeus, Carl (1 May 1753).
Species Plantarum
. London. p. 9
. Retrieved
1 July
2016
.
- ^
Jensen, Bo.
"Lilac (
Syringa vulgaris
)"
. Bo Jensen:Essential Oils
. Retrieved
1 July
2016
.
- ^
Harper, Douglas (8 January 2014).
"Origin and meaning of syrinx"
.
Online Etymology Dictionary
.
- ^
Hillier Nurseries,
The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs
, David and Charles, 1998, p. 659
ISBN
0-7153-0808-4
- ^
a
b
c
Meier, Eric.
"Lilac"
.
The Wood Database
. Retrieved
10 June
2023
.
- ^
a
b
Zhu, Wenbo (10 October 2020).
"Traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of genus Syringa: A comprehensive review"
.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology
.
266
: 113465.
doi
:
10.1016/j.jep.2020.113465
.
PMID
33049343
.
S2CID
222352460
.
- ^
Su, Guozhu (27 January 2015).
"Phytochemical and pharmacological progress on the genus Syringa"
.
Chemistry Central Journal
.
9
(2): 2.
doi
:
10.1186/s13065-015-0079-2
.
PMC
4312558
.
PMID
25642281
.
- ^
"The Meanings Behind the Most Popular Valentine's Day Flowers"
.
Better Homes & Gardens
. Retrieved
12 May
2024
.
- ^
ruthstrangeway (6 January 2021).
"We'll Gather Lilacs In The Spring Again"
.
Ruth Strangeway - Singer
. Retrieved
12 May
2024
.
- ^
"New Hampshire Almanac: State Flower and State Wildflower"
.
nh.gov
. 2019
. Retrieved
22 December
2020
.
- ^
"Harvard.edu"
. Archived from
the original
on 6 February 2010
. Retrieved
16 May
2009
.
- ^
"Franktown Lilac Festival"
. Lanark County Tourism
. Retrieved
8 July
2012
.
- ^
Biota of North America Program county distribution map, Syringa vulgaris
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Syringa
.
Look up
lilac
in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.