seeds of Syringa oblata, Broadleaf Lilac, Blooming Lilac

Syringa oblata also called the broadleaf lilac, or blooming lilac is a flowering plant species of the family Oleaceae. The plant’s synonyms include Syringa affinis, Syringa chinensis, and Syringa giraldii. Syringa oblata has its origins in China with most of the cultivation taking place in several provinces. These provinces include Qinghai, Henan, Gansu, Ningxia, Nei Mongol, and Jilin. The plant’s distribution also extends to Korea. Syringa oblata has a number of hybrids whose cultivation takes place in Europe and the Americas. Syringa oblate is a shrub that can grow to a height of 3.5 to 5 metres. The stem is smooth and has fine hairs on its surface. The leaves are 2.5 to 14 cm long by 2.5 cm to 15 cm wide. The colour of the flowers can either be white or range from purple to pale purple. Each flower has a diameter of 1.7 cm. The fruits are small, smooth and ovate, oblong-lanceolate or obovate-elliptic. Syringa oblata serves as an ornamental plant mostly in North America. The plant’s lush foliage coupled with its beautiful flowers guarantee that it has a formidable aesthetic effect. One can, therefore, expect to find it in gardens and parks. The plant can comfortably cope with the effects of pollution and can, therefore, grow in urban areas. An additional use of the plant lies in its hollow stems which serve as adequate material for the making of flutes. Syringa oblata grows best in moist, fertile, well-drained soils where the pH hovers between slightly acidic and slightly basic. Frost is fatal to the plant, and one should strive to grow the plant either in late spring or early summer. The plant also needs plenty of air circulation. In order to increase the plant’s bloom, one should remove the faded flower panicles before the setting of the seeds.