Scientific Name:
Syringa vulgaris
Pronunciation:
si-RING-guh vul-GAIR-iss
Common Name:
common lilac
Family Name:
Oleaceae
Plant Type:
Shrub - deciduous
Key ID Features:
Leaves opposite (rarely in whorls of 3), ovate, 8-12cm long x 4-6cm wide, base cordate, margin entire; panicles (thyrse) of highly fragrant florets, 4 petals, violet-purple, Apr-May. Winter ID: twigs 4-sided, glabrous, buds opposite, 3-5mm long, smooth, green, single crescent-shaped vascular bundle scar; terminal buds in pairs; opened capsules.
Habit:
Stiffly upright
Form:
Irregular
Texture:
Medium - coarse
Mature Height:
5 - 7m
Mature Spread:
4 - 5m
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Origin:
Europe
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 2: (-46 to -40 °C)
Exposure:
Full sun
Soil/Growing Medium:
Alkaline
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Attract birds, Attract butterflies, Cut flower or foliage, Fragrance, Hedge row, Mixed shrub border, Screening, Spring interest
Additional Info:
Google. Cultivars shown or on campus may include S. ‘Katherine Havermeyer’ and S. 'Fernand L. Pegot'.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Opposite, Whorled
Texture/Venation:
Soft flexible
Surfaces:
Glabrous
Colour in Fall:
Yellow
Shapes:
Ovate
Apices:
Acuminate
Bases:
Obtuse
Margins:
Entire, Sinuate
Inflorescence Type:
Thyrse, Floriferous, Panicle-like
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
4
Corolla Shape:
Salverform
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, White, Violet, Purple (Lilac to mauve, varies with cv. (e.g. white))
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Fruit Type:
Capsule
Fruit Colour:
Brown
Fruiting Time:
Aug, Sep
Additional Info:
Persistent, Deadheading will improve flowering next spring
Bark Morphology:
Smooth, Multi-stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Olive, Brown
Additional Info:
may exfoliate on old plants
Leaf Bud Type:
Ovoid (Outer scale centered directly over leaf scar)
Leaf Scar Shape:
Crescent shaped
Organ Modifications:
root suckering
Propagation:
Seed, Softwood cuttings, Division - below ground parts
Maintenance:
Low
Pest Susceptibility:
Bacterial leaf spot, Blight or needle cast, Canker or sap rot, Leaf miner insect, Mildew, Scale insects, Stem borer insects, Thrips, Wilt (Deer resistant, Rabbit resistant)
Specific Pests:
Course(s):
- CLT Training
- HORT 1155
- Level 1 Apprenticeship
Location(s):
- (TFL) Turf Field Lab
- (TFLN) Turf Field Lab North : cv. Ludwig Spaeth
- (WDH) Wark-Dumais House : cv. Katherine Havermeyer