NEW SER1E3 VOL. X 
NO. 5 
ARNOLD ARBORETUM 
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 
BULLETIN 
OF 
POPULAR INFORMATION 
JAMAICA PLAIN, MASS. MAY 24. 1924 
Lilacs are late in blooming this year but are now fast opening their 
flowers, and it is possible that Sunday, the 25th, will bring the largest 
number of visitors of the year to the Arboretum. The earliest species 
to flower, Syringa pinnatifolia, was in bloom on the 12th of May; this 
is a small compact shrub with small clusters ol white flowers valuable 
only for their fragrance. Syringa hyacinthiflora was in flower at about 
the same time; this is an interesting hybrid between the Chinese S. 
oblata and some form of S. vulgaris. It is a large, well-shaped bush 
with good foliage and small clusters of double bluish-purple flowers 
which are extremely fragrant. This plant is worth more general culti- 
vation as an interesting hybrid and for its early fragrant flowers. 
Although many species, chiefly from China, and several hybrids have 
found a place in a few gardens, when Lilacs are spoken of it is Syringa 
vulgaris and its numerous varieties which are usually referred to. 
This shrub was planted on land now occupied by the Arboretum as 
early probably as 1815 when Mr. Benjamin Bussey built his house and 
planted his garden along the summit of Bussey Hill. He planted a 
row of purple and white Lilacs along his garden walk and either the 
original plants or suckers from them have now grown into dense tall 
hedges on each side of the path and still bloom profusely. 
It is now known that Syringa vulgaris came originally from the 
mountains of Bulgaria, and that it reached western Europe by the way 
of Constantinople in 1597. The date of its introduction into the United 
States is not known, but it was a common garden plant here before 
the end of the eighteenth century as Washington planted it at Mt. 
Vernon in 1785. The plants raised from seed collected from the wild 
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