''Syringa komarowii'' is a species of
lilac
''Syringa'' is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering plant, flowering woody plants in the olive family or Oleaceae called lilacs. These lilacs are native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and wid ...
native to central
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, commonly called nodding lilac. It is native to the Provinces of
Gansu
Gansu (, ; alternately romanized as Kansu) is a province in Northwest China. Its capital and largest city is Lanzhou, in the southeast part of the province.
The seventh-largest administrative district by area at , Gansu lies between the Tibet ...
,
Hubei
Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The prov ...
,
Shaanxi
Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...
,
Sichuan
Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of the ...
,
Yunnan
Yunnan , () is a landlocked Provinces of China, province in Southwest China, the southwest of the People's Republic of China. The province spans approximately and has a population of 48.3 million (as of 2018). The capital of the province is ...
.
[Flora of China: ''Syringa komarowii''](_blank)
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It is a shrub growing to 3–6 m tall, with erect branches. The leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are oval-oblong, 5–19 cm long and 2–7 cm broad. The flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s are fragrant and range in colour from pink to mauve, sometimes with a white base; they are produced in early summer on panicle
A panicle is a much-branched inflorescence. (softcover ). Some authors distinguish it from a compound spike inflorescence, by requiring that the flowers (and fruit) be pedicellate (having a single stem per flower). The branches of a panicle are of ...
s 4–25 cm long and are attractive to bees, butterflies, and birds. The panicles often hang limply, which is how the plant got its common name; the clusters look as though they are nodding.
/ref>
There are two subspecies
In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...
:
*''Syringa komarowii'' subsp. ''komarowii'' C.K.Schneid.
*''Syringa komarowii'' subsp. ''reflexa'' (C.K.Schneid.) P.S.Green & M.C.Chang.
Cultivation and uses
Like most lilacs, it needs to be planted in full sun. It is able to survive cold winters. The flowers are good for cutting. While this plant is beautiful, it is not commonly used in landscaping. However, it is used for breeding with other species of ''Syringa''.
References
komarowii
Flora of Gansu
Flora of Hubei
Flora of Shaanxi
Flora of Sichuan
Flora of Yunnan
Flora of China
Plants described in 1910
Garden plants
{{Oleaceae-stub