Lilac Flowers

Name : Lilac Flowers
Latin Name : Genus: Syringa, (Syringa vulgaris)
Lilac Description

Lilac is the common name for the genus Syringa, comprising of about 20–25 species of flowering plants in the Olive Family, Oleaceae, native to Europe and Central Asia. Lilacs were first cultivated as garden plants in Europe during the 16th century. Common names include Lilac, or French Lilac. French lilacs are the modern double-flowered cultivars developed by Victor Lemoine. A pale shade of purple is commonly called lilac after this lovely flower. The genus derives the botanical name Syringa from syrinx which means a hollow tube or pipe, referring to the broad pith in the shoots in some species, which can easily be hollowed out and has been used to make reed pipes and flutes in early history. The flower derives its common name “lilac” is from the Persian word “nilak,” meaning “blue.”

Lilacs are deciduous shrubs or small trees that vary in height from 2 to10 metres. Each individual Lilac flower is star shaped and small, about 5-10mm across with four lobes or petals. Lilac flowers are borne in large panicles, and several species are known to have a strong fragrance. Different varieties bloom in their own time usually between mid-spring to early summer.

The lovely Lilac flowers usually appear in a shade of purple (often a light purple or lilac), but are also available in white, pink, pale yellow and dark burgundy.

Lilac thrives in full sun and it requires at least four hours of sunshine daily. Lilacs prefer a rich, well-drained soil preferably with a neutral pH. Lilacs can be propagated from seeds as well as shoot cuttings or planting its suckers. Shoot cuttings are so successful that even if you plant a cut flower stem with appropriate length, it develops roots.

Lilacs are a harbinger of spring time, and their bloom time is thought to be a sign whether spring will be early or late since they are one of the first flowers to bloom. Lilacs are excellent garden plants and look great in bouquets and flower arrangements.

Lilacs are a popular choice for wedding bouquets as well as table centre pieces. With their sweet scent and eye-catching blossoms, lilacs greatly enhance the ambience of a room. Vase life for Lilacs varies between 3 days to two weeks depending on the variety and conditions.

Lilac Meaning

The enchanting Lilac has the honour of being the 8th wedding anniversary flower. With their delicate beauty, the lovely lilacs are thought to symbolize Love, Pride and Confidence.

In Lebanon, Greece and Cyprus, the exquisite lilac is closely associated with Easter time as it blooms around that time and is consequently called Paschalia.

The Lilac variety S. vulgaris is the State Flower of Idaho and also of New Hampshire, and according to New Hampshire Revised Statute Annotated (RSA) it is thought to be "symbolic of that hardy character of the men and women of the Granite State."

Different coloured varieties signify different meanings in flower symbolism:

A Purple Lilac portrays The First Emotions of Love
The White Lilac representing Youthful Innocence, Beauty, Elegance, Gaiety and Humility
Field Lilac signifies Charity

Lilac Mythology

According to Greek mythology, the Lilac found its origin in a beautiful nymph named Syringa. Pan, the god of the forests and fields, was mesmerized by her beauty and he chased Syringa through the forest. Frightened by Pan’s actions, Syringa evaded Pan by turning herself into a beautiful lilac flower.

In poetry, Lilacs appear in "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd", a poem by Walt Whitman as an elegy to Abraham Lincoln. “Lilacs”, by Amy Lowell was published in What's O'Clock in1925, a collection that won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1926, after her death:

Lilacs,
False blue,
White
Purple,
Colour of lilac,
Your great puffs of flowers
Are everywhere in this my New England.
Among your heart-shaped leaves
Orange orioles hop like music-box birds and sing
Their little weak soft songs;
In the crooks of your branches
The bright eyes of song sparrows sitting on spotted eggs
Peer restlessly through the light and shadow
Of all Springs.