Syringa Explained

Syringa is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of 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 widely and commonly cultivated in temperate areas elsewhere.[1] [2] [3] [4]

The genus is most closely related to Ligustrum (privet), classified with it in Oleaceae tribus Oleeae subtribus Ligustrinae.[5]

Lilacs are used as food plants by the larvae of some moth species, including lilac leaf mining moth,[6] privet hawk moth,[7] copper underwing, scalloped oak and Svensson's copper underwing.

Description

They are small trees, ranging in size from 2to tall, with stems up to 20to 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).[8]

Flowers

The flowers are produced in spring, each flower being 5to in diameter with a four-lobed corolla, the corolla tube narrow, 5to 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.[2] [3] [4] [9] One particular cultivar, trademark Bloomerang, first blooms in spring and then again late summer through fall.[10] [11]

Fruit

The fruit is a dry, brown capsule, splitting in two at maturity to release the two winged seeds.[2] [3] [4] [9]

Etymology

The English common name "lilac" is from the French lilac[9] [12] [13] via the Arabic: لِيلَك|līlak from Persian: ليلنج|lilanj meaning the indigo plant[14] or Persian: نیلک nilak meaning "bluish";[12] both lilanj and nilak come from Persian Persian: نیل nīl "indigo" or Persian: نیلي nili "dark blue".[14]

Taxonomy

The genus Syringa was first formally described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus and the description was published in Species Plantarum.[15] The genus name Syringa is derived from Ancient Greek word syrinx meaning "pipe" or "tube" and refers to the hollow branches of S. vulgaris.[16] [17]

Homonym Syringa Tourn. ex Adans. is a heterotypic synonym of Philadelphus.[18]

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.[19] 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.[20] 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.[21] 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 to have effects including antitumor, antihypertensive, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antifungal activities in pharmacological studies.[22]

Symbolism

See also: Language of flowers. Lilacs are often considered to symbolize first love.[23]

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.[24]

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."[25]

Festivals

Several locations in North America hold annual Lilac Festivals, including:

Species

Species and subspecies currently accepted as of July 2016:[18] [2]

Hybrids

Notes and References

  1. Flora Europaea: Syringa
  2. Flora of China: 丁香属 ding xiang shu Syringa
  3. Flora of Pakistan: Syringa
  4. Germplasm Resources Information Network: Syringa
  5. University of Oxford, Oleaceae information site: New classification of the Oleaceae
  6. Web site: Lilac leaf mining moth / RHS Gardening . 2024-05-12 . www.rhs.org.uk . en-gb.
  7. Web site: Privet Hawk-moth . 2024-05-12 . butterfly-conservation.org . en.
  8. Web site: Lilac Description, Major Species, Varieties, & Facts Britannica . 2024-05-13 . www.britannica.com . en.
  9. Book: Huxley . A. . 1992 . New RHS Dictionary of Gardening . London, United Kingdom . Macmillan . 0-333-47494-5.
  10. Web site: Growing lilacs for Minnesota landscapes .
  11. Web site: Syringa Bloomerang® Purple (Reblooming Lilac) Lilac Bloomerang® Purple Syringa × 'Penda' .
  12. Web site: Origin and meaning of lilac . Online Etymology Dictionary . 6 July 2017 . .
  13. Book: Vedel, H.. Lange, J. . 1960. Trees and Bushes in Wood and Hedgerow . Metheun & Co. Ltd.. London.
  14. Encyclopedia: Lilac . Encyclopaedia Iranica . Aryavand . Ahmad . Grami . Bahram . 29 June 2015 . Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation . online . 10 December 2022 .
  15. Book: Linnaeus . Carl . Species Plantarum . 1 May 1753. London . 9 . 1 July 2016.
  16. Web site: Jensen . Bo . Lilac (Syringa vulgaris) . Bo Jensen:Essential Oils . 1 July 2016.
  17. Web site: Origin and meaning of syrinx . Harper . Douglas . 8 January 2014 . Online Etymology Dictionary . .
  18. Web site: Syringa Tourn. ex Adans. . 2022 . Plants of the World Online . . 10 December 2022 .
  19. Hillier Nurseries, The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs, David and Charles, 1998, p. 659
  20. Web site: Meier . Eric . Lilac . The Wood Database . 10 June 2023.
  21. Zhu . Wenbo . Traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacology of genus Syringa: A comprehensive review . Journal of Ethnopharmacology . October 10, 2020 . 266 . 113465 . 10.1016/j.jep.2020.113465 . 33049343 . 222352460 .
  22. Su . Guozhu . Phytochemical and pharmacological progress on the genus Syringa . Chemistry Central Journal . 27 January 2015 . 9 . 2 . 2 . 10.1186/s13065-015-0079-2 . 25642281 . 4312558 . free .
  23. Web site: The Meanings Behind the Most Popular Valentine's Day Flowers . 2024-05-12 . Better Homes & Gardens . en.
  24. Web site: ruthstrangeway . 2021-01-06 . We'll Gather Lilacs In The Spring Again . 2024-05-12 . Ruth Strangeway - Singer . en.
  25. Web site: 2019. New Hampshire Almanac: State Flower and State Wildflower . 22 December 2020 . nh.gov.
  26. Web site: Harvard.edu . 16 May 2009 . 6 February 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100206000723/http://arboretum.harvard.edu/plants/lilac_intro.html . dead .
  27. Web site: Franktown Lilac Festival. Lanark County Tourism. 8 July 2012.
  28. Web site: Biota of North America Program county distribution map, Syringa vulgaris .

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