Common Lilac – Syringa vulgaris

Lilac blossoms

When lilacs last in the dooryard bloomed,
And the great star early drooped in the western sky in the night,
I mourned, and yet shall mourn with ever-returning spring….

 

By Walt Whitman (1865)

This shrub of Eastern Europe first came to North America with early European settlers in the mid 1750’s. They were included in the earliest botanical gardens here, and were also grown by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in their gardens. Gerard described the flowers by saying, “many small flowers in the form of a bunch of grapes …consisting of four parts like a little star, of an exceeding sweet savor or smell. . .”

Due to the scent that Gerard refers to is the reason that an essential oil has been, through great effort, finally been steam extracted. It is hard to find, and very expensive, but is used as perfume, in making a sachet, potpourri, and can be found in soups and lotions.

In 19^th century America it was utilized as a vermifuge, tonic, anti-periodic, and a febrifuge. As a febrifuge it was used in the early treatment of malaria. Children with sore mouths have been encouraged to chew the leaves and twigs.

A dye can be obtained from various parts creating various colors.

            Leaves: green & brown

            Twigs: yellow-orange

            Flowers: green

Lilac is the state bush of New York, the purple flower clusters are the floral emblem of New Hampshire, and a number of cities call themselves the ‘Lilac City’…Spokane, Washington, Rochester, New Hampshire, and Cornwall, Ontario, Canada.

Dwarf Korean Lilac – Syringa meyeri

Dwarf Koroean Lilac

Just now the lilac is in bloom
All before my little room;
And in my flower beds I think,
Smile the carnation and the pink;
And from the borders, well I know,
The poppy and the pansy blow.

—Rupert Brooke

This lilac is native to Southeast Asia, specifically Korea and China. It tends to be smaller than other lilac with a maximum bush height of 4-8’ tall/ Like most Lilacs it is sweetly fragrant and when massed together the scent can get overpowering. Its bloom time for Zone 7 is late April to May.

Like other Lilacs this one can be used in medicine, with the leaves and fruit used as anti-periodi, febrifuge, and tonic. It was used for centuries as a successful treatment for malarial type symptoms. When it can to America it was used as a vermifuge (expelling intestinal worms).

In Chinese Traditional Medicine it is called Qu Mai and is used to treat urinary infections, dysuria (painful urination), and to stimulate menstrual discharge.

Jeanne Rose has a nice article about Lilacs and extracting the scent from the flower for use as a perfume. (http://www.jeannerose.net/articles/lilac.html)

Common Lilac – Syringa vulgaris

Lilacs

April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain.

T. S. Eliot–The Wasteland

This small tree to large shrub was first imported to North America in the mid 1750’s. Both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson grew them in their gardens. The original Lilacs can from Europe and Asia, with the bulk of natural species coming from Asia.

The leaves and fruit are anti-periodic, febrifuge, and tonic. The bark and leaves were given to children to chew to combat sore mouth. In America the leaves and fruit were used as a vermifuge. The flowers are very fragrant and the essential oil derived from them has been used in perfumery.

Various dyes have been garnered from different parts:

            Leaves – Green and Brown

            Twigs – Yellow-orange

            Flowers – Green

They are the state bush of New York, and the state flower of New Hampshire. In the Language of Flowers the purple lilac stands for the first emotions of love and the white flowered type stands for youthful innocence.

Forsythia – Forsythia suspensae

Forsythia

… We open up our homes to let
the scent of love inside;
forsythia and buttercup
and sun all beam with pride….

By Teargen

This brilliant spring shrub bursts into bloom long before the leaves unfurl, but last until they are almost fully present. Forsythia originates from China, but today grows almost all over the world. The first Weeping Forsythia was first seen by a westerner when Carl Peter Thunberg saw it in a Japanese garden. The Forsythia arrived first in Holland by way of the Dutch East India Company since Thunberg worked with them.

Forsythia fruit was first mentioned as medicine in a 1789 herbal compendium. It stated that thousands of years ago the Forsythia fruit was combined with honeysuckle flowers to treat fever, cough, and chest complaints. Korean research has shown promise for using the flowers of Forsythia to treat cholesterol. In modern Chinese medicine the Forsythia is prescribed when a broad spectrum antibiotic is needed. In Chinese medicine it is considered one of the 50 fundamental herbs.

The young leaves have been eaten, but some caution is advised. The leaves contain a glucoside, Phillyrin. It is not known if this glycoside is toxic or not!

Forsythia sticks are used to bow a Korean string instrument called ajaeng.