Syringa josikaea

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Hungarian lilac
Syringa-josikaea-flowering.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Lamiales
Family: Oleaceae
Genus: Syringa
Species:
S. josikaea
Binomial name
Syringa josikaea
Synonyms [2]
  • Syringa × henryi var. eximia Rehder
  • Syringa vincetoxifolia Baumg. ex Steud.

Syringa josikaea, the Hungarian lilac, [3] or Lady Josika's lilac [4] 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. [5] [6] 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.

Contents

Description

It is a deciduous shrub growing to a height of 2–4 m. The leaves are elliptic-acute, 6–12 cm long, with a finely hairy margin. The flowers are dark pink, with a tubular base to the corolla 15 mm long with a narrow four-lobed apex 3–4 mm across, with a strong fragrance; they are produced in slender panicles up to 15 cm long in early summer. The fruit is a dry, smooth brown capsule, splitting in two to release the two winged seeds. [7] [5] [8] [9]

Taxonomy and former distribution

The Hungarian lilac belongs to the genus Syringa, which is distributed across Eurasia, with its centre of diversity in East Asia. The Hungarian lilac is one of only two species of the genus in Europe, the other being the common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) with a more southerly distribution on the Balkan Peninsula and the southern part of the Carpathians. Despite this geographical proximity, the Hungarian and the common lilac are only distant relatives within the genus. Instead, the Hungarian lilac's closest relatives are Syringa villosa and S. wolfii (under its synonym Syringa villosa subsp. wolfii ) [10] both of which are native to East Asia. These two taxa together form the sister group of the Hungarian lilac, whereby the split is estimated to have taken place during the Gelasian period in the early Pleistocene, about 1.88 Mya. This is consistent with a climatic trend of cooling and desiccation during the Eurasian Pliocene and Pleistocene, which is thought to have caused the east-west disjunctions seen in many Eurasian taxa. [11]

Plant fossils highly similar to the Hungarian lilac have been recovered from Miocene travertine deposits in Hungary as well as Pleistocene interglacial deposits in Hungary and eastern Germany. For example, the species is known from quarries in Bilzingsleben (400 kya) and Weimar-Ehringsdorf [lower-alpha 1] (approx. 200 kya), both in Thuringia. This indicates that the species used to be much more widespread in Central Europe during warm Quaternary interglacial periods, and was only restricted to its current distribution area in the Carpathians during the last glacial maximum (LGM). This in turn suggests that the Carpathians served as a glacial refugium for plant species during the LGM. [11]

Distribution and threats

Habit Syringa josikaea kz02.jpg
Habit

The Hungarian lilac is endemic to the Carpathians of Transylvania and western Ukraine. It occurs only in two populations in the Romanian Apuseni Mountains and the Ukrainian Carpathians, with only a handful locations known for each population. Most locations only consist of a limited number of individuals, estimated at less than 1000 for the Ukrainian population. However, the total number of individuals is difficult to estimate due to vigorous clonal reproduction, which seems to predominate over sexual reproduction. The species has declined in recent decades and is therefore listed as endangered, with populations continuing to decline. Threats are mainly anthropogenic in nature; the species suffers mainly from the destruction of its favoured habitats near streams and rivers due to road construction, river damming and habitat conversion. [14]

Cultivation and uses

Syringa x josiflexa flowers; its parent S. josikaea differs in the corolla lobes being forward-pointing, not reflexed (a character inherited from its other parent S. komarowii). Syringa josiflexa A.jpg
Syringa × josiflexa flowers; its parent S. josikaea differs in the corolla lobes being forward-pointing, not reflexed (a character inherited from its other parent S. komarowii).

Growing conditions allow for cool to temperate climate and are fully frost hardy. The plant also grows in full sun to semi shade. [9] Despite its continental European origin, it has proved to be surprisingly successful when cultivated in the oceanic extremes of northwestern Europe on the Faroe Islands and in arctic northern Norway north to Kirkenes. [15]

It has hybridised in cultivation with the closely related Syringa komarowii from China; the hybrid is named Syringa × josiflexa. [8]

Notes

  1. ↑ The remains from Weimar-Ehringsdorf were initially described as a separate species Syringa thuringiaca, [12] but later authors considered them close enough to the recent species to group the findings under the same name, Syringa josikaea. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Syringa</i> 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 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oleaceae</span> Family of flowering plants

Oleaceae, also known as the olive family or sometimes the lilac 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. The extant genera include Cartrema, which was resurrected in 2012. The number of species in the Oleaceae is variously estimated in a wide range around 700. The flowers are often numerous and highly odoriferous. The family has a subcosmopolitan distribution, ranging from the subarctic to the southernmost parts of Africa, Australia, and South America. Notable members include olive, ash, jasmine, and several popular ornamental plants including privet, forsythia, fringetrees, and lilac.

<i>Forsythia</i> Genus of flowering plants in the olive family Oleaceae

Forsythia, is a genus of flowering plants in the olive family Oleaceae. There are about 11 species, mostly native to eastern Asia, but one native to southeastern Europe. Forsythia – also one of the plant's common names – is named after William Forsyth.

<i>Pinus mugo</i> Species of plant

Pinus mugo, known as dwarf mountain pine, mountain pine, scrub mountain pine, Swiss mountain pine, bog pine, creeping pine, or mugo pine, is a species of conifer, native to high elevation habitats from southwestern to Central Europe and Southeast Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilzingsleben (Paleolithic site)</span>

Bilzingsleben is a former stone quarry in Thuringia, Germany, notable for its wealth of palaeolithic human fossils and artifacts.

<i>Syringa vulgaris</i> Species of flowering plant

Syringa vulgaris, the lilac or common lilac, is a species of flowering plant in the olive family Oleaceae, native to the Balkan Peninsula, where it grows on rocky hills. Grown in spring for its scented flowers, this large shrub or small tree is widely cultivated and has been naturalized in parts of Europe, Asia and North America. It is not regarded as an aggressive species. It is found in the wild in widely scattered sites, usually in the vicinity of past or present human habitations.

<i>Ilex aquifolium</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae

Ilex aquifolium, the holly, common holly, English holly, European holly, or occasionally Christmas holly, is a species of flowering plant in the family Aquifoliaceae, native to western and southern Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia. It is regarded as the type species of the genus Ilex, which by association is also called "holly". It is an evergreen tree or shrub found, for example, in shady areas of forests of oak and in beech hedges. In the British Isles it is one of very few native hardwood evergreen trees. It has a great capacity to adapt to different conditions and is a pioneer species that repopulates the margins of forests or clearcuts.

<i>Mentha longifolia</i> Species of flowering plant in the family Lamiaceae

Mentha longifolia, also known as horse mint, brookmint, fillymint or St. John's horsemint, is a species of plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to Europe excluding Britain and Ireland, western and central Asia, and northern and southern Africa.

<i>Syringa <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> laciniata</i> Species of flowering plant

Syringa × laciniata, the cut-leaf lilac or cutleaf lilac, is a hybrid lilac of unknown, though old origin. It is thought to be a hybrid between Syringa vulgaris from southeastern Europe and Syringa protolaciniata from western China. Although often cited as being from China, it more likely arose somewhere in southwestern Asia, where it was first scientifically described from cultivated plants in the 17th century, possibly Iran or Afghanistan, or Pakistan, where it has been cultivated since ancient times.

<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>Aster amellus</i> Species of plant

Aster amellus, the European Michaelmas daisy, is a perennial herbaceous plant and the type species of the genus Aster and the family Asteraceae.

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

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miss Kim lilac</span> Subspecies of flowering plant

The Miss Kim lilac is a subspecies of lilac which was categorized by Elwyn M. Meader while stationed in Korea as an army horticulturalist. It was supposedly named after Elwyn M. Meader's Korean helper, whose name was "Kim". This species is endemic to the areas of Korea and Northeast China. The most commonly used name for this subspecies is Miss Kim Lilac yet there are many others used. Flowers produced by this species are of pink, purple, and a light blue hues which accompany a sweet smelling aroma. Alongside flower production fruits called loculicidal capsules are produced. This species tends to bloom in the spring months.

<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>Iris arenaria</i> Species of plant

Sandy iris, or sand iris, is a species in the genus Iris; it is also in the subgenus of Iris and in the Psammiris section. It is a rhizomatous perennial, from Central Europe, found in Hungary, Austria, Romania, Czech Republic and Ukraine. It has grass-like leaves, a short stem and pale yellow flowers. It has had a mixed origin and was once Iris humilis subsp. arenaria, a subspecies of Iris humilis, until it was reclassified as a separate species. But many sources still state that it is either a synonym or subspecies of Iris humilis. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant in temperate regions.

<i>Tulipa hungarica</i> Species of plant in the genus Tulipa

Tulipa hungarica, the Danube tulip, Banat tulip or Rhodope tulip, is a species of flowering plant in the family Liliaceae. It is also in the subgenus Tulipa. It is found on the rocky mountainsides of Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovenia, especially along the gorges of the river Danube. It has small bright yellow flowers in spring and blue-grey leaves.

<i>Syringa <span style="font-style:normal;">×</span> chinensis</i> Nothospecies of plant in the family Oleaceae

Syringa × chinensis, the Chinese lilac or Rouen lilac, is a hybrid species of flowering plant in the family Oleaceae. It was supposedly first noticed growing in Rouen, France in 1777. In spite of its specific and common names, it most probably originated in western Asia. It is the result of a cross between Syringa vulgaris and Syringa persica. A shrub or shrubby tree reaching 12 ft (4 m), it is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 7, and is recommended for borders, loose hedges, and foundations.

Syringa × diversifolia, commonly known as the varyleaf lilac, is a hybrid shrub of the genus Syringa.

References

  1. ↑ Höhn, M.; Lendvay, B. (2018). "Syringa josikaea". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2018: e.T162267A99428926. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-1.RLTS.T162267A99428926.en . Retrieved 8 March 2024.
  2. ↑ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species".
  3. ↑ USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Syringa josikaea". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  4. ↑ "Syringa josikaea | Hungarian lilac Shrubs/RHS Gardening". www.rhs.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  5. 1 2 Rushforth, K. (1999). Trees of Britain and Europe. Collins ISBN   0-00-220013-9.
  6. ↑ Flora Europaea: Syringa josikaea
  7. ↑ Jacquin, Joseph Franz von, in Reichenbach, Heinrich Gustav. 1830. Iconographia Botanica seu Plantae Criticae 8: 32
  8. 1 2 Huxley, A., ed. (1992). New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. Macmillan ISBN   0-333-47494-5.
  9. 1 2 Plants for a Future: Syringa josikaea
  10. ↑ "Syringa villosa subsp. wolfii (C.K.Schneid.) Jin Y.Chen & D.Y.Hong | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2024-03-18.
  11. 1 2 Bertalan, Lendvay; Kadereit, Joachim W.; Westberg, Erik; Cornejo, Carolina; Höhn, Mária (31 March 2014). "Phylogeography of Syringa josikaea (Oleaceae): Early Pleistocene divergence from East Asian relatives and survival in small populations in the Carpathians". Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. 119 (3) (published 27 October 2016): 689–703. doi: 10.1111/bij.12499 .
  12. ↑ Vent W 1955. Über die Flora des Riss-Würm-Interglazials in Mitteldeutschland unter besonderer Berücksichtung der Ilmtravertine von Weimar-Ehringsdorf. Wissenschaftliche Zeitschrift der Friedrich Schiller-Universität, Jena 55: 467–485.
  13. ↑ Mania D (2006). Stratigraphie, Klima- und Umweltentwicklung der letzten 400 000 Jahre im Saalgebiet und Harzvorland (Forschungsstand 2006). Hercynia 39: 155–194.
  14. ↑ IUCN (2018-01-24). Syringa josikaea: Höhn, M. & Lendvay, B.: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T162267A99428926 (Report). International Union for Conservation of Nature. doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2018-1.rlts.t162267a99428926.en.
  15. ↑ Højgaard, A., Jóhansen, J., & Ødum, S. (1989). A century of tree planting on the Faroe Islands. Ann. Soc. Sci. Faeroensis Supplementum 14.
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