Syringa

Last updated

Syringa
Stockholm-lilac.jpg
Syringa vulgaris,
common lilac
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Oleaceae
Tribe: Oleeae
Subtribe: Ligustrinae
Genus: Syringa
L.
Synonyms [1]
  • LilacMill.
  • LiliacumRenault
  • BusbeckiaHécart, nom. inval.
  • LigustrinaRupr.

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]

Contents

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

Purple lilac bush Lilac Bush.jpg
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). [9]

Flowers

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

The fruit is a dry, brown capsule, splitting in two at maturity to release the two winged seeds. [3] [4] [5] [10]

Etymology

The English common name "lilac" is from the French lilac [10] [13] [14] via the Arabic : لِيلَك, romanized: līlak from Persian : ليلنج, romanized: lilanj meaning the indigo plant [15] or نیلکnilak meaning "bluish"; [13] both lilanj and nilak come from Persian نیلnīl "indigo" or نیليnili "dark blue". [15]

Taxonomy

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 SyringaTourn. ex Adans. is a heterotypic synonym of Philadelphus. [16]

Cultivation and uses

A white, double-flowered cultivar Lilac.head.600pix.jpg
A white, double-flowered cultivar
Dormant lilac buds Lilac buds.jpg
Dormant lilac buds
Lilac wood Lilac wood lengthwise section.png
Lilac wood

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

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

Lilacs as showcased in the Lilac Celebration held each May at the Royal Botanical Gardens near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Royal Botanical Gardens Lilac Celebration.JPG
Lilacs as showcased in the Lilac Celebration held each May at the Royal Botanical Gardens near Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

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

Species

Species and subspecies currently accepted as of July 2016: [16] [3]

Hybrids

Related Research Articles

<i>Adenophora</i> Genus of flowering plants

Adenophora is a genus of flowering plants in the family Campanulaceae, the bellflowers. Plants of this genus are known commonly as ladybells. Most of the species in the genus are native to eastern Asia, with a few in Europe. Many are endemic to either China or Siberia.

Speranskia is a plant genus of the family Euphorbiaceae first described in 1858. It is the only genus of the subtribe Speranskiinae. The entire genus is endemic to China.

  1. Speranskia cantonensis(Hance) Pax & K.Hoffm. - Hubei, Guangdong
  2. Speranskia tuberculata(Bunge) Baill. - Anhui, Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan
  3. Speranskia yunnanensisS.M.Hwang - Yunnan
<i>Ephedra sinica</i> Species of plant

Ephedra sinica is a species of Ephedra native to Mongolia, Russia, and northeastern China.

<i>Syringa josikaea</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Oleaceae

Syringa josikaea, the Hungarian lilac, or Lady Josika's lilac is a species of lilac in the olive family Oleaceae, native to central and eastern Europe, in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania and western Ukraine. A large shrub, it has a very restricted range, although fossils assigned to the species suggest a much wider prehistoric distribution in central Europe. Today it is threatened in the wild by habitat destruction, but is also commonly used in gardening.

<i>Syringa reticulata</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Oleaceae

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.

<i>Sinacalia</i> Genus of plants

Sinacalia is a genus of Chinese plants in the groundsel tribe within the daisy family.

<i>Spodiopogon</i> Genus of grasses

Spodiopogon is a genus of Asian plants in the grass family.

<i>Neopallasia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Neopallasia is a genus of Asian flowering plants in the chamomile tribe within the daisy family. Molecular data indicate that Neopallasia is closely related to Seriphidium and could be easily included with that genus.

<i>Ptilagrostis</i> Genus of grasses

Ptilagrostis is a genus of grasses in the family Poaceae. They are distributed in Asia and North America. They are known commonly as false needlegrasses.

<i>Syringa villosa</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Oleaceae

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 ; these are regarded as separate species in Flora of China. Combining the ranges for the two taxa yields a range within China of Hebei, Shanxi, Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning.

<i>Campanula punctata</i> Species of flowering plant

Campanula punctata, the spotted bellflower, is a species of flowering plant in the bellflower family Campanulaceae. This ornamental herbaceous perennial is native to Japan, Korea, China and Siberia, and is widely cultivated for its attractive bell-shaped flowers.

<i>Syringa pubescens</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Oleaceae

Syringa pubescens is a species of flowering plant in the lilac genus of the family Oleaceae, native to Korea and China.

Allium polyrhizum is a species of wild onion widespread across Zabaykalsky Krai, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China at elevations 1000–3700 m.

<i>Allium ramosum</i> Species of flowering plant

Allium ramosum, called fragrant-flowered garlic or Chinese chives is a northern Asian species of wild onion native to Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Siberia, the Russian Far East, and northern China. The species is also naturalized in a few places in eastern Europe. In its native range, it grows at elevations of 500–2100 m.

<i>Syringa oblata</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Oleaceae

Syringa oblata is a species in the genus Syringa, in the family Oleaceae. It is also known as early blooming lilac or broadleaf lilac.

<i>Syringa oblata <span style="font-style:normal;">subsp.</span> dilatata</i> Sub-species of flowering plant in the family Oleaceae

Syringa oblatasubsp.dilatata, also known as Korean early lilac, is a subspecies of the species Syringa oblata in the genus Syringa, in the family Oleaceae.

<i>Gagea hiensis</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Liliaceae

Gagea hiensis is a species of flowering plant in the lily family. It is native to Korea, Mongolia, China, and Far Eastern Russia.

<i>Aquilegia viridiflora</i> West Asian species of columbine

Aquilegia viridiflora, commonly known as the green columbine or green-flowered columbine, is a species of flowering plant in the buttercup family. Its native range is southern Siberia to northern China, and Japan. It is an herbaceous perennial, and grows 15 cm to 50 cm tall, with a maximum spread of approximately 30 cm. Although it is grown as an ornamental, it may be considered a weed.

References

  1. 1 2 "Syringa L. Sp. Pl. : 9 (1753)". World Flora Online. World Flora Consortium. 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  2. ↑ Flora Europaea: Syringa
  3. 1 2 3 4 Flora of China: 丁香属 ding xiang shu Syringa
  4. 1 2 3 Flora of Pakistan: Syringa
  5. 1 2 3 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. ↑ "Lilac leaf mining moth / RHS Gardening". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  8. ↑ "Privet Hawk-moth". butterfly-conservation.org. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  9. ↑ "Lilac | Description, Major Species, Varieties, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. London, United Kingdom: Macmillan. ISBN   0-333-47494-5.
  11. ↑ "Growing lilacs for Minnesota landscapes".
  12. ↑ https://www.gardenia.net/plant/syringa-bloomerang-purple [ bare URL ]
  13. 1 2 "Origin and meaning of lilac". Online Etymology Dictionary. 6 July 2017.
  14. ↑ Vedel, H., & Lange, J. (1960). Trees and Bushes in Wood and Hedgerow. Metheun & Co. Ltd., London.
  15. 1 2 Aryavand, Ahmad; Grami, Bahram (29 June 2015). "Lilac". Encyclopaedia Iranica (online ed.). Encyclopaedia Iranica Foundation. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  16. 1 2 3 "Syringa Tourn. ex Adans". Plants of the World Online. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2022. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
  17. ↑ Linnaeus, Carl (1 May 1753). Species Plantarum. London. p. 9. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  18. ↑ Jensen, Bo. "Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)". Bo Jensen:Essential Oils. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  19. ↑ Harper, Douglas (8 January 2014). "Origin and meaning of syrinx". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  20. ↑ Hillier Nurseries, The Hillier Manual of Trees and Shrubs, David and Charles, 1998, p. 659 ISBN   0-7153-0808-4
  21. 1 2 3 Meier, Eric. "Lilac". The Wood Database. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  22. 1 2 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.
  23. ↑ 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.
  24. ↑ "The Meanings Behind the Most Popular Valentine's Day Flowers". Better Homes & Gardens. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  25. ↑ ruthstrangeway (6 January 2021). "We'll Gather Lilacs In The Spring Again". Ruth Strangeway - Singer. Retrieved 12 May 2024.
  26. ↑ "New Hampshire Almanac: State Flower and State Wildflower". nh.gov. 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
  27. ↑ "Harvard.edu". Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2009.
  28. ↑ "Franktown Lilac Festival". Lanark County Tourism. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  29. ↑ Biota of North America Program county distribution map, Syringa vulgaris
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.