Syringa reticulata
Syringa reticulata, the Japanese tree lilac, is a species of flowering plant in the family Oleaceae. It is native to eastern Asia, and is grown as an ornamental in Europe and North America.
Description
It is a deciduous small tree growing to a height of, rarely to, with a trunk up to, rarely in diameter; it is the largest species of lilac, and the only one that regularly makes a small tree rather than a shrub. The leaves are elliptic-acute, long and broad, with an entire margin, and a roughish texture with slightly impressed veins. The flowers are white or creamy-white, the corolla with a tubular base 0.16–0.24" long and a four-lobed apex 0.12–0.24" across, and a strong fragrance; they are produced in broad panicles long and broad in early summer. The fruit is a dry, smooth, brown capsule, splitting in two to release the two winged seeds.Distribution
Syringa reticulata is found in northern Japan, northern China, Korea, and far southeastern Russia.Names
;The Latin specific epithet reticulata means "netted".
Subspecies
There are three subspecies:- Syringa reticulata subsp. reticulata, also syn. S. amurensis var japonica ''Franch et Sav.- Ligustrina japonica - Japan.
- Syringa reticulata subsp. ''amurensis P.S.Green & M.C.Chang - Northeastern China, Korea, southeastern Russia.
- Syringa reticulata subsp. pekinensis P.S.Green & M.C.Chang - North-central China. It has very distinct reddish-brown peeling bark.