Syringa pinetorum

Syringa pinetorum is a species in the genus Syringa, in the family Oleaceae.

Description

Height/spread: Shrub reaching up to 1-3m high and wide at maturity.
Stems: Cylindrical branchlets range from villous to puberulent, gradually becoming glabrescent.
Leaves: Ovate to ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate, measuring 1.5-2.5 cm x 0.8-2 cm, papery, subglabrous or sparsely pubescent above, glabrescent below or pilose along veins. Apex is acute to acuminate, base cuneate to broadly cuneate.
Flowers: Panicles are lateral, erect, and loose, and measure 4-16 cm x 3-8 cm. Pedicel to 3mm in length, and may be either pubescent or glabrous. Calyx, reaching 1.5-3mm, pedicel, to 3mm, and rachis are usually puberulent. Corolla pale red or lilac, measuring 1-1.5 cm. Tube is cylindric, and measures 6-10 mm. Lobes are elliptic to ovate and spreading. Anthers are yellow and are inserted to 3mm beyond the mouth of the corolla tube. Flowers May–July.
Fruit: Capsule is lanceolate to long elliptic and is nearly smooth, measuring 0.8-1.5 cm in length. Fruits July–September.

Habitat

Valleys under pines, 2200-3600m altitude.

Distribution

China: Sichuan, southeastern Tibet, and northwestern Yunnan provinces.

Cultivation

Not yet known in cultivation.

Etymology

Pinetorum, meaning 'associated with pines, of pine woods' from the genitive plural of pinus. 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.