Syringa is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering woody plants in the olive family called lilacs. They are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly cultivated in temperate areas elsewhere. The genus is most closely related to Ligustrum (privet), classified with it in Oleaceae tribus Oleeae subtribus Ligustrinae. Lilacs are used as food plants by the larvae of some moth species, including lilac leaf mining moth, privet hawk moth, copper underwing, scalloped oak and Svensson's copper underwing.
Description
Lilacs are small trees, ranging in size from 2 to 10 metres (6+1⁄2 to 33 ft) tall, with stems up to 20 to 30 centimetres (8 to 12 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 and S. pinnatifolia).
Flowers
The flowers are produced in spring, each flower being 5 to 10 millimetres (1⁄4 to 3⁄8 in) in diameter with a four-lobed corolla, the corolla tube narrow, 5 to 20 mm (1⁄4 to 3⁄4 in) long; lilacs have bisexual flowers, 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. One particular cultivar, trademark Bloomerang, first blooms in spring and then again late summer through fall.
Fruit The fruit is a dry, brown capsule, splitting in two at maturity to release the two winged seeds.
Taxonomy The genus Syringa was first formally described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and the description was published in Species Plantarum. The genus name Syringa is derived from Ancient Greek word syrinx meaning "pipe" or "tube" and refers to the hollow branches of S. vulgaris. Homonym Syringa Tourn. ex Adans. is a heterotypic synonym of Philadelphus.
Species Species and subspecies currently accepted as of July 2016:
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 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
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)
Etymology The English common name "lilac" is from the French lilac via the Arabic: لِيلَك, romanized: līlak from Persian: ليلنج, romanized: lilanj meaning the indigo plant or نیلک nilak meaning "bluish"; both lilanj and nilak come from Persian نیل nīl "indigo" or نیلي nili "dark blue".
Cultivation and uses
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. 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. It is a relatively hard wood, with an estimated Janka hardness of 2,350 lbf (10,440 N), and is reportedly good for woodturning. The sapwood is typically cream-coloured and the heartwood can have various streaks of brown and purple. 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. Compounds isolated from species of Syringa include phenylpropanoids such as syringin and iridoids such as oleuropein. Substituent compounds, such as iridoids, as well as crude extracts from Syringa plants have been shown to have effects including antitumor, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antifungal activities in pharmacological studies.
Symbolism
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