vulgaris – common (Latin)
Native range: SE Europe
Leaves:
- opposite
- decussate
- simple
- entire margin
- ovate
- cordate base
- 2–5” long, almost as wide
- glabrous
Flowers:
- inflorescence – dense panicles
- 4–8” long
- usually paired
- lilac or white
- corolla tube longer than calyx
- four lobes
- 2 stamens
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Fruit:
- beaked capsule
- smooth
- lustrous
- brown
- 10–15 mm long
- 5 mm diameter
- slightly compressed
- dehiscent and opening into 2 parts
- persists into winter
- seeds:
- 2 (1 in each cell)
- ~12 mm long
- 5 mm broad
- compressed
- winged
Other characteristics:
- woody shrub (or small tree) 8–15 ft.
- wide-spreading
- fragrant
Relevant info:
- prone to powdery mildew in PNW
- there are several other species of Syringa and ~800 cultivars available
- cultivated since late 1500s in Europe and brought to N. America by colonists
- now distributed all over the temperate zones, including Western Europe, Eastern and Central U.S., and Korea
Ecology & Adaptations:
- native to SE Europe, where it is found in open woodlands, rocky hills and scrubby areas
- pollination – nectar attracts hummingbirds, butterflies and bees
- seed dispersal – ‘wings’ aid dispersal by wind
- vegetative reproduction – produces suckers from roots
- herbivore defense – leaves contain phenolic glycosides that may deter herbivory via taste
- tolerance for low nutrient conditions, perhaps (based on in vitro study) by limiting axillary (lateral) bud growth (i.e., limiting formation of new branches) through interaction with phytohormones such as gibberellin and cytokinin, which affect cell division and elongation, apical dominance, photosynthesis, and nitrogen utilization