in "lilacdom" 227 



to the Arnold Arboretum, where it flowered for the 

 first time in 1889. 



The last to flower is S. japonica and this is the 

 best known of the Tree Lilacs. It is common in the 

 moist woods and forests of central Japan and in- 

 creasingly so northward and throughout Hokkaido, 

 whence it was introduced into cultivation by Mr. Wil- 

 liam S. Clark who sent seeds to the Arnold Arboretum 

 in 1876. At its best it is a round-topped tree from 

 thirty to forty feet tall with a clean, stout trunk cov- 

 ered with smooth, lustrous bark like that of a Cherry 

 tree. The leaves are large, thick, and dark green and 

 the flowers are borne in large, erect symmetrical clus- 

 ters. The wood is very durable in the ground and 

 for this reason is esteemed above that of all other trees 

 by the Ainu people of Hokkaido for making their 

 inaos or wooden wands used for religious and cere- 

 monial purposes. These inaos are looked upon as 

 continual guardians against harm from Nature, dis- 

 ease, and evil spirits. 



Apart from the very numerous seedling varieties 

 of the Common Lilac there are a number of very 

 beautiful Lilacs of hybrid origin and in the years to 

 come a great development of this favorite shrub may 

 be looked for along these lines. Hybrids are usually 

 more vigorous in growth than species and often 



