Common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) is one of the most popular garden crops in our region. It belongs to the genus Lilac of the Olive family. It is a poisonous plant. Contains many essential oils and syringin glucoside.
Botanical description
Lilac is a deciduous shrub with multiple trunks reaching a diameter of 20 centimeters. Plant height - from 2 to 8 meters. The fruits are a two-celled oval-shaped capsule, in which there are from 2 to 4 seeds with wings. Flowering is abundant and annual.
Common lilac prefers neutral soils, does not like waterlogging.
Leaves are simple and opposite, 4 to 12 cm long, 3 to 8 cm wide. The leaves are cut to the top. After falling, they remain green, especially in the southern regions, they can be found even under the snow and it seems that they have just fallen from a branch.
When young, the bark is smooth, greenish-olive, then it becomes gray or gray-brown. The crown of common lilac in diameter reaches on average from 3.5 to 4 meters.
Flowers and reproduction
The flowering period of the shrub falls on May-June. However, where the climate is warmer, it may begin to bloom as early as mid-April. Flowering and fruiting - from the 4th year of life. Flowers do not fall for a long time, erect. Their color is very diverse: from rich lilac, purple hues to white.
Reproduction of common lilac occurs by root offspring or shoots from a stump. Under favorable natural conditions, the seeds can germinate the next year, new specimens grow from them. The vegetative propagation method is used to breed new hybrids.
Seedlings of the plant develop for a very long time, and only in the second year, when they get stronger, they can be planted in open ground.
Life span
The bush can live for about 100 years. There is even a plant that could live up to 130 years, it was planted back in 1801. In the Askania-Nova park there are specimens that are already 60 years old.
Area
The natural habitat is quite extensive - the Balkan Peninsula (Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Albania, Yugoslavia), as well as the lower reaches of the Danube, south of the Carpathian Mountains, Serbia.
On the territory of the former USSR, it is cultivated in almost all regions. In Russia - at a latitude from Yekaterinburg to St. Petersburg, in the southern part of Siberia.
Prefers forest-steppes and steppes, grows on empty slopes.
Practical applications in medicine
Despite its toxicity, common lilac is a plant widely used asanalgesic and antimalarial drug. For these purposes, shrub flowers are used. The leaves are put into action in the presence of purulent wounds.
In addition, lilacs are used in the treatment:
- whooping cough;
- renal pathologies, mainly in combination with linden flowers;
- rheumatism;
- laryngitis;
- to improve visual acuity;
- pulmonary tuberculosis.
Lilacs are used as teas, tinctures, added to ointments.
Landscape decoration
First of all, the shrub is used as a soil protection plant on slopes, which are often subject to erosion, erosion.
The shrub appeared in Europe in the 16th century, it was brought to Italy and Vienna from Turkey, where it was called "lilac". The first imported plant bloomed in 1589 in the Vienna Botanical Garden.
Until the 19th century, lilac occupied a very modest place in landscape design. After all, the flowering period of the plant is very short, and not always regular. However, thanks to the efforts of breeder Victor Lemoine, everything changed after 1880. He managed to bring out about ten varieties, some of them are still reference. The breeder received hybrids with luxurious lush flowers, with full inflorescences. Victor Lemoine also brought out a lilac with double petals in a variety of colors.
The breeder's son and grandson continued his work, and by 1960 the Victor Lemoine and Son nursery had 214 varieties and hybrids.
Since the beginning of the 20th century, breeding workpracticed in France, Germany and Holland. A huge contribution to obtaining new species was made by the Dutchman Maarse. He developed 22 varieties, one of which is especially famous - Flora 1953, the diameter of the flowers of the common lilac of this variety reaches 3.5 centimeters.
North America
In the same period, the plant gains popularity in North America, breeders are breeding new varieties. In 1892, the well-known specialist John Dunbar not only created lilac hybrids, but also planted a garden in Rochester, which by the end of the 19th century became the venue for an annual themed festival. Landscape design specialists come here even today.
Canada also did not stand aside: in the city of Hamilton there is the largest syringarium, in which there are about 800 lilacs.
Russia
In our country, a self-taught breeder from Moscow, Kolesnikov Leonid Alekseevich, was engaged in breeding varieties. He managed to breed about 300 species, but, unfortunately, only 50 varieties have survived. It was this man who bred the Beauty of Moscow variety in 1947, which became incredibly popular among gardeners. In 1973, Kolesnikov's work was recognized internationally, he was awarded the highest award - the "Golden Lilac Branch".
Naturally, in the vastness of Russia, he was not the only breeder, the Lipetsk specialist Vekhov N. K. and Mikhailov N. L.
In this direction, work was actively carried out in many botanical gardens of the country. In the same garden of the AcademySciences of Belarus brought out 16 varieties. These species are decorative and highly resistant to urban conditions.
International classification
Naturally, the global popularity of the plant required the creation of a certain classification. The current color standardization was proposed back in 1942 by J. Wister.
Common lilac: description, classifications
There are two categories according to the shape of the flower:
- S, simple;
- D, terry.
Colour standards:
| Code | Color |
| I | White |
| II | Purple |
| III | Blue |
| IV | Lilac |
| V | Pink |
| VI | Magenta |
| VII | Purple |
| VIII | Complex color, transitional |
Combined codes are also used, when the flower color falls under two or more categories, then the code is indicated through a slash. If the color changes during flowering, then the codes are written with a hyphen.
Species diversity
Lilac common wild notis varied. However, the contribution of breeders to the development of varietal diversity is enormous, therefore, today lilac is widely used in the design of gardens and in the creation of hedges. The varieties differ not only in the color of the flowers, but also in the flowering period, the size of the bush, the shape and arrangement of the inflorescences.
Common varieties of common lilac:
| Madame Lemoine | The most popular species, with double white flowers. The breeder named this variety after his wife. In height, a sprawling bush reaches 3 meters and lives up to 30 years. The plant does not like waterlogged soil and shaded places, it is frost-resistant. Flowers have a delicate fragrance. Flowering occurs in June. |
| Ami Schott | Bred variety in 1933. The flowers are dark blue with a cob alt tint. Diameter - 2.5 centimeters, terry and fragrant. The bushes are tall, with wide branches. |
| Belle de Nancy | Double variety with mauve flowers, fading to light blue. The petals always curl inward. The diameter of the flowers is up to 2 centimeters. |
| Violetta | The bush was bred back in 1915, has large flowers up to 3 centimeters in diameter. Colour: light purple to dark purple. At the initial stage of growth, the leaves have a brown coating, and then become dark green. Most commonly used for forcing. |
| Gaya Vata | Inflorescences reach 30centimeters, flowers have a raspberry-pink color. The bush itself is medium in size, with oval and hard leaves. |
| Beauty of Moscow | The buds are lilac-pink when they bloom, becoming white-pink with a hint of mother-of-pearl. Flowers in diameter can reach 2.5 cm. The bush blooms for a long time. |
| Memory of Kolesnikov |
The common lilac of this variety got its name in 1974, after the death of the breeder. The inflorescences reach a height of 20 centimeters, the flowers are about 3 centimeters in diameter. Unopened buds have a creamy yellow undertone, blossoming flowers are absolutely snow-white. This is a full-bodied variety with flowers similar to polyanthr roses, yet they absolutely do not lose their attractive shape until they are fully bloomed. |
| Leonid Leonov | Bred by Leonid Kolesnikov in 1941. The buds are purple-purple, after they bloom, they become purple with a slight purple tint in the middle. The lower part of the flower is light purple. The bushes are compact and medium in size, they bloom very profusely. |
| Madame Casimir Perrier | The variety was bred in 1894 by Victor Lemoine. The flowers are medium sized, double, creamy white. The plant blooms profusely, so it is often used for landscaping and for cutting. |
Naturally, these are not all varieties of common lilac, today there are more than two thousand known.
A littleinteresting facts
It is impossible to confuse the aroma of lilac with anything, it is slightly viscous and very sweet. But few people know that there is a species that has no smell - this is the Hungarian lilac.
Lilac oil is one of the most expensive in the world, it costs more than gold. The cost of one kilogram is 100 thousand dollars. This is due to the fact that the oil production process is very laborious.
It is not recommended to leave a bouquet of lilacs near you at night, in most cases in the morning a person feels a headache. This is due to the fact that the plant is poisonous and releases toxic substances.
The coat of arms of the Latvian city of Sigulda has a lilac branch.
Everyone knows the sign that if you find a five-petal flower of common lilac, you must eat it after making a wish. But there is another sign, it is necessary to get rid of flowers with three petals, as they bring bad luck.
In some cultures around the world, lilac symbolizes goodbye. If in the Eastern country they gave a bouquet with these flowers, then it was perceived as a completely transparent hint of an impending parting. In England, a failed bride gave lilacs as a sign that she was against the engagement.
Don't scold a man for picking lilacs. In fact, next year there will be many more flower stalks on such a bush.
