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Syringa Vulgaris. Common Lilac. 



# ft ft ft $ ftfr ft ♦ ♦ ft, ft ft ft frft fe ft ft 



Clafs and Order, 



DlANDRIA MoNOGYNIA. 



Generic Char a tier. 

 Cor. 4-fida. Capful a bilocularis. 



Specific Character and Synonyms. 

 SYRINGA vulgaris foliis ovato-cordatis integris. Linn. Syfi. 

 Veget. ed. 14. Murr. p. 57. Ait. Hort, Kew. V. 1* 

 p. 15. 

 SYRINGA caerulea. Bauh. Pin. 398. 

 LILAC five Syringa caerulea. 

 The blew Pipe tree. Park. Parad. p. 407. 



Few fhrubs are better known in this country than the Lilac , 

 few more univerfally cultivated ; there is fcarcely a cottage it 

 does not enliven, or a fhrubbery it does not beautify. 



It has long had a place in our gardens ; both Gerard and 



Parkinson' defcribe two forts, the blue and the white ; to 



thefe another fort is added by more modern writers, fupenor 



in beauty to the original, as producing larger bunches or 



flowers, of 3 brighter hue, having more of the purple tint, 



and hence called by fome the purple Lilac. Miller con- 



iiders the three as different fpecies. 



^7 — The flowers of the Lilac pofiefs a confiderable degree of 



l^jfragrance, but not of the moft agreeable kind ; our readers, 



*S| (perhaps, will not be difpleafed to hear the opinion of old 



^J Gerard on this point, delivered in his own words : — ** They 



J J* c have a pleafant fweete fmell, but in my judgement they 



« l t " are too fweete, troubling and molefting the head in very 



v£j , c ftrange manner : 1 once gathered the flowers, and laid them 



|3 u in my chamber window, which fmelled more ftrongiy after 



Pj "they had lien together a few howcrs, with fuch a ponticke 



Is *' and unacquainted favor, that they awaked mc from fleepe, 



* €< fo that I could not take any reft until I had caft them out 



fHlof rny chamber." 



I Though a native of Perfia, it bears our fevered winters 

 £. without injury, has a pleafing appearance when in bud, flowers 

 .. in May, and is readily propagated by fuckers ; but finer 

 ^ plants, in the opinion of Miller, are raifed from feeds. 

 v ^ It will grow in almoft any foil or fituation, even in London, 

 -. but, to flower well, it mult have a pure air. 



* The name, indeed, of one of our colour* is taken from its blofibms. 



