Syringa emodi

Syringa emodi is a species in the genus Syringa, in the family Oleaceae. It is also known as Himalayan lilac.

Description

Height/Spread: Shrub to 5m in height, spreading to 4m.
Stems: Vigorous, upright branches with robust branchlets and stout shoots. Bark is silver-grey and lenticellate.
Leaves: Leaves are elliptic-oblong, measuring 9 cm to 15 cm in length and 5 cm in width, and are dark green and glabrous above and silvery-gray and slightly pubescent beneath when young.
Flowers: Unpleasantly scented, purple, pale lilac, or white flowers are borne on upright, terminal panicles to 15 cm long. Tube measures 1 cm in length; lobes short, valvate, linear-oblong, and hooded at the tips. Anthers protrude about halfway. Flowers in early summer, from May–June.
Fruit: Fruits September to October.

Habitat

Slopes at altitude.

Distribution

From the highlands of Afghanistan in the west, through the western Himalayas of northern Pakistan and northwestern India, to Nepal in the east.

Cultivation

Widely cultivated. Notable cultivars include:

'Aurea'
'Elegantissima'
'Variegata'

Etymology

Emodi is derived from the Sanskrit hima, meaning 'snow'. Syringa is derived from the Greek word syrinx, meaning 'pipe' or 'tube'. Named for the use of its hollow stems to make flutes. In Greek mythology, the nymph Syringa was changed into a reed.