Complimentary 
NEW SERIES VOL. I 
NO. 4 
ARNOLD ARBORETUM 
HARVARD UNIVERSITY 
I. <RY 
N .« YORK 
4iv»: xNICAL 
(JAR DBM 
BULLETIN 
OF 
POPULAR INFORMATION 
JAMAICA PLAIN, MASS. MAY 19, 1915 
Lilacs. To most persons the Lilac is the shrub with red-purple or 
with white flowers to which botanists have given the name of Syringa 
vulgaris. There are, however, many other kinds of Lilac, and in addi- 
tion to Syringa vulgaris and some one hundred and fifty seedling forms 
of it there are twenty species and several hybrids in the Arboretum 
collection. The common Lilac is said to have reached western Europe 
from Constantinople; it was cultivated in a garden near London in 
1593 and had become known in the United States at least as early as 
the middle of the eighteenth century. Washington wrote of it in his 
diary and planted it at Mt. Vernon where his plants or their descend- 
ants still flourish. One of the most popular of garden plants in all 
cold and temperate countries, the original home of this Lilac remained 
unknown for three centuries after its introduction into England. Some 
writers believed it to be a native of Persia and others considered cen- 
tral Asia or northern China its home, and it is only a few years ago 
that it was discovered to be a native of the mountain forests of Bul- 
garia. Specimens of the wild plant raised at the Arboretum from 
seeds collected in Bulgaria are growing on the left-hand side of the 
walk going up the hill through the Lilac Collection and are labeled 
“ Syringa vulgaris, Bulgaria.” It is interesting to compare the narrow 
clusters of small lilac-purple flowers with the large ones of many shades 
of color which gardeners in the last three centuries have developed 
from the wild plant. It is evident that no great additional improve- 
ment can now be expected from seedlings of the common Lilac. The 
beauty limit appears to have been reached and many of the seedlings 
raised in recent years and named and sold by nurserymen show no 
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