lilac

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• common lilac
• Lilac

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Syringa lilac var. purpurea
• Syringa vulgaris f. coerulea
• Syringa lilac var. alba
• Lilac vulgaris var. alba
• Syringa vulgaris f. plena
• Lilac vulgaris var. violacea
• Syringa lilac var. violacea
• Syringa vulgaris f. violacea
• Syringa caerulea
• Syringa vulgaris var. alba
• Syringa vulgaris var. purpurea
• Syringa vulgaris var. caerulea
• Syringa vulgaris var. alba
• Syringa vulgaris var. purpurea
• Syringa cordifolia var. caerulescens
• Syringa vulgaris var. transsilvanica
• Syringa vulgaris var. macrantha
• Syringa vulgaris var. pulchella
• Syringa cordifolia var. alba
• Syringa vulgaris var. marlyensis
• Syringa vulgaris var. lilacina
• Syringa vulgaris f. albipleniflora
• Syringa cordifolia var. purpurascens
• Syringa vulgaris var. rubra-maxima
• Syringa vulgaris var. rubra
• Syringa rhodopea
• Lilac vulgaris var. purpurea
• Syringa vulgaris var. virginalis
• Syringa vulgaris var. semiplena
• Syringa vulgaris var. coerulea
• Syringa vulgaris var. caroli
• Syringa vulgaris var. violacea
• Syringa vulgaris f. alba
• Syringa vulgaris var. colmariensis
• Syringa vulgaris var. albiflora
• Syringa vulgaris var. rhotomagensis
• Lilac vulgaris var. coerulea
• Syringa vulgaris f. purpurea
• Syringa vulgaris var. media
• Syringa vulgaris plena
• Syringa vulgaris var. sibbirica
• Syringa vulgaris var. plena
• Syringa vulgaris duplex
• Liliacum vulgare
• Lilac caerulea
• Lilac vulgaris
• Liliacum album
• Syringa vulgaris var. regia

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta. Within the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae, it is categorized under the order Lamiales and the family Oleaceae. Finally, it is classified under the genus Syringa.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant exhibits a wide distribution across several regions of the European continent. In Northern Europe, it can be found growing in Great Britain and Ireland. Moving toward Middle Europe, the species is also established in Austria and Belgium. Additionally, its presence extends into the Czechia-Slovakia region. These locations highlight the plant's ability to thrive across diverse European landscapes.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Syringa vulgaris is characterized by its preference for lowland environments, where it thrives within a specific altitudinal band. This species is typically found at elevations ranging from a minimum of 500 m AMSL to a maximum of 1000 m AMSL. These habitat parameters indicate that the plant is most successful in lower-altitude landscapes, avoiding the extreme conditions associated with high-mountain ecosystems while favoring the stable climatic zones found within its designated elevational range.

Elevational range max:

1000 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

500 m AMSL

Habitat :

Lowland

Life history

The life history of Syringa vulgaris is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons. As a phanerophyte, it maintains its stems well above the ground level, contributing to its robust structural presence in its habitat. The plant exhibits a deciduous nature, shedding its foliage annually in response to seasonal changes. Depending on the specific environmental context and growth stage, its life form can also be classified as a nanophanerophyte, reflecting its woody growth habit and structural complexity.

Deciduousness :

deciduous

Life form :

nanophanerophyte

Life form :

phanerophyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Syringa vulgaris is characterized by a woody, self-supporting growth form, typically manifesting as a shrub. This plant is terrestrial in its natural habitat and functions as an independent organism rather than a parasite or an epiphyte. In terms of stature, it exhibits significant variability in size, with heights ranging from a minimum of 1.5 m to a maximum of 10 m, resulting in an average plant height of approximately 6.05 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

shrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

10 m

Plant height mean:

6.05 m

Plant height min:

1.5 m

Woodiness :

woody

Physiology

The physiology of Syringa vulgaris is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway, a standard metabolic process for temperate woody shrubs that facilitates carbon fixation through the enzyme Rubisco. As a non-carnivorous species, it relies on soil-based nutrient uptake rather than insectivory, and it does not function as a nitrogen fixer, necessitating a consistent supply of nitrogen from its environment. The leaf morphology plays a critical role in its resource management, exhibiting a mean leaf size of 23.39167 cm² and a mean leaf width of 8 cm, which reaches both its minimum and maximum recorded values at 8 cm. While individual leaf length measurements have been noted as low as 2.2 cm in specific contexts, the overall leaf architecture supports a mean Specific Leaf Area (SLA) of 133.59 cm²/g, indicating a moderate level of leaf thickness and investment in photosynthetic tissue relative to its biomass.

Carnivory :

non-carnivorous

Leaf length max:

2.2 cm

Leaf size mean:

23.39167 cm²

Leaf width mean:

8 cm

Nitrogen fixer :

no

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Specific Leaf Area (SLA) mean:

133.59 cm²/g

Reproduction

The reproduction of Syringa vulgaris is characterized by a sexual reproductive cycle that relies on biotic pollination mechanisms. The flowering period typically commences in May and concludes in June, during which the plant utilizes a biotic pollination syndrome specifically involving insects to facilitate fertilization. Notably, self-fertilization is absent in this species, necessitating cross-pollination to ensure genetic diversity. Following successful pollination, the plant develops fruit in the form of a capsule. This fruit is dehiscent, meaning it opens at maturity to release its seeds through an autochorous dispersal syndrome, where the seeds are dispersed by the plant's own internal mechanisms. The seeds produced are quite small, with a mean mass of approximately 0.005318 g, ranging from a minimum of 0.00439 g to a maximum of 0.008 g. Furthermore, the species does not exhibit asexual reproduction, relying entirely on its sexual processes for propagation.

Dehiscence :

dehiscent

Dispersal syndrome :

autochorous

Flowering time :

May

Flowering time :

Jun

Fruit type :

capsule

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

biotic

Reproduction asexual :

absent

Seed mass max:

0.008 g

Seed mass mean:

0.00531833333333333 g

Seed mass min:

0.00439 g

Self fertilization :

absent

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Chemicals

Syringa vulgaris has 44 reported phytochemicals identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Oleuropein, Syringin, Verbascoside, 3-Hexenol, 3-hexenyl acetate.

Oleuropein

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Frontiers in pharmacology

Syringin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Verbascoside

1. Planta medica
2. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology

3-Hexenol

1. Dr. Duke

3-hexenyl acetate

1. Dr. Duke

ALPHA-PINENE

1. Dr. Duke

Acteoside

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Anisaldehyde

1. Dr. Duke

Cresyl acetate

1. Dr. Duke

Demethyloleuropein

1. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Activities

Syringa vulgaris has 264 reported activities identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Cytotoxic, 5-HT-Inhibitor, ACE-Inhibitor, Acidulant.

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Cytotoxic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

5-HT-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

ACE-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Acidulant

1. Dr. Duke

Adaptogenic

1. Dr. Duke

Aldehyde-Oxidase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Aldose-Reductase-Inhibitor

1. Dr. Duke

Allelochemic

1. Dr. Duke

Allergenic

1. Dr. Duke

Medicinal Uses

Syringa vulgaris has 6 reported medicinal uses identified across 0 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include apoptosis, edema, free radicals, inflammation, spinal cord injury.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations