Syringa

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Syringa

Lilacs
Genus:Syringa
Family:Oleaceae
Type:Shrubs and Trees
Pruning season:After flowering
Weediness:Can sucker aggressively
Pollination:Insects

Lilacs (Syringa) are a genus of about 20 species of flowering plants in the family Oleaceae (olive), native to Europe and Asia. The genus name Syringa is derived from syrinx meaning a hollow tube or pipe, and refers to the hollow state of the younger shoots in some species. The name "pipe tree" is occasionally used.

Description

Lilacs range in size from large shrubs to small trees, 2-10 m tall. The leaves are opposite (occasionally in whorls of three), deciduous, and in most species simple and heart-shaped, but pinnate in a few species (e.g. S. laciniata, S. pinnatifolia). The flowers are produced in spring, each flower about 1 cm diameter, white, pale pink or more generally purple, with four petals. The flowers grow in large panicles, and in several species have a strong fragrance. Flowering starts after 80-110 growing degree days.

Uses

Lilacs are popular shrubs in parks and gardens throughout the temperate zone. In addition to the species listed above, 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.

The wood of lilac is close-grained, diffuse-porous, extremely hard and one of the densest in Europe. The sapwood is typically cream-coloured and the heartwood has various shades of brown and purple. Lilac wood has traditionally been used for engraving, musical instruments, knife handles etc. When drying the wood has a tendency to be encurved as a twisted material, and to split into narrow sticks. The wood of Common Lilac is even harder than for example that of Syringa josikaea.

Purple lilacs symbolise first love and white lilacs youthful innocence.

Maintenance

Lilac in flower (a white flowered cultivar

Lilacs 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; a pruned lilac often produces few or no flowers for one to five or more years, before the new growth matures sufficiently to start flowering. Unpruned lilacs flower reliably every year. Despite this, a common fallacy holds that lilacs should be pruned regularly. If pruning is required, it should be done right after flowering is finished, before next year's flower buds are formed. Lilacs generally grow better in slightly alkaline soil.

Pests and diseases

Crown Gall

Bacterial Blights

Powdery Mildew

Leaf Spots

Leaf Blights

White Mold

Diebacks

Wilts

Shoot Blight

Thread Blight

Stem Girdles

Wood Rots

Mushroom Rots

Blights

Viri

Phytoplasma

Nematodes

Climate-related Issues

Aphids

Scales

Whiteflies

Thrips

Beetles

Weevils

Caterpillars

Wasps

Bees

Mites

Gallery

References

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