Syringa vulgaris
| Syringa vulgaris | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 20' |
| Speed: | Moderate |
| Blooms: | Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Syringa vulgaris (common name: lilac)
Propagation: Seed - sow March in a north facing cold frame. Pre-treating the seed with 4 weeks warm then 3 weeks cold stratification improves germination. It is probable that sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe in a cold frame would be a more reliable method[K]. Prick the seedlings out into individual pots once they are large enough to handle. Plant them out in the summer if sufficient growth has been made, otherwise grow them on in a cold frame for their first winter and plant out in late spring of the following year.
Cuttings of young shoots, 7cm with a heel, June in a frame[1].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7cm with a heel, July/August in a frame[1].
Layering in spring before new growth begins. Takes 12 months[2].
Division of suckers in late winter. They can be planted straight out into their permanent positions.
Cultivation: Succeeds in most soils, including chalk, but dislikes acid soils[3]. Prefers a deep stiff well-drained loam in a warm sunny position[3][1].
A very ornamental plant[4], it does tend to sucker quite freely though[1]. There are many named varieties, developed for their ornamental value[5].
The flowers attract butterflies and moths[6].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[1].
Range: E. Europe. Occasionally naturalized in Britain[7].
Habitat: Scrub on rocky hill slopes in Europe[8]. Found in hedges, thickets and shrubberies in Britain[7].
Edibility: Flowers - raw or folded into batter and fried to make fritters[9].
Medicinal: The leaves and the fruit are antiperiodic, febrifuge, tonic and vermifuge[10].
The bark or leaves have been chewed by children as a treatment for sore mouth[11].
Usage: An essential oil is obtained from the flowers. Used in perfumery[12].
A green dye is obtained from the flowers[13].
Green and brown dyes can be obtained from the leaves[13].
A yellow-orange dye is obtained from the twigs[13].
Plants can be grown as an informal hedge[1].
The plant is often used as a rootstock for the various ornamental cultivars of lilac. Its main disadvantage is that it can sucker very freely[1].
Pollinators: Bees, lepidoptera
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Heavy Clay: Grows in heavy-clay soils.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ Carter, David. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan, 1982.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Grae, Ida. Nature's Colors. MacMillan Publishing, 1974.