Syringa reticulata is a tree form Lilac with showy, early June, creamy-white inflorescences. Japanese Tree Lilac is properly used as a specimen, entrance-way, or street tree without powdery mildew on its foliage.
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F E A T U R E S |
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Form
-medium-sized ornamental tree or very large ornamental shrub
-maturing at about 25' tall x 20' wide, although larger under optimum conditions
-upright oval growth habit, becoming more rounded with age
-medium growth rate |
Foliage
-medium to dark green, opposite, ovate, with an acute apex and dull shiny upper surface, and a subtle reticulate branching pattern of the leaf veins near the leaf margin
-autumn color is faded green to yellowish green-brown, and ornamentally poor |
Flowers
-appear in early June
-creamy-white to light-yellow
-attractive and fine-textured 10-12" long pyramidal inflorescences, held well above the fully expanded foliage
-fragrant to malodorous, depending on personal preferences (contrasts with the popular sweet smell of other lilacs) |
Fruit
-immature fruits are lime-green, transitioning to yellowish green or light brown in autumn, noticeable against the darker green foliage but not ornamentally attractive
-winter persistent, brown, ellipsoid, dehiscent capsules occur on large fruiting stalks, with the stalk often persisting into the following spring |
Twig
-light brown and stout on young winter stems, becoming shiny gray and lenticel-streaked but remaining smooth on young branches, and very much like the branches of Oriental Cherry (Prunus serrulata) -stems are constantly forking in a dichotomous pattern, usually topped by twin terminal buds at the end of the growing season
-floral buds are slightly larger than vegetative buds
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Trunk
-tree form may be either multi-trunked, or single-trunked and limbed up, while the shrub form is multi-trunked and branching widely at its base
-mature trunks are gray, very cherry-like, remaining smooth for a long time with horizontal lenticels, then eventually transitioning to bark with plates and fissures |
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C U L T
U R E
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Culture
-full sun to partial sun
-best performance occurs in full sun in a moist, well-drained soil of average fertility, but it is highly adaptable to poor soils, compacted soils, various soil pHs, and drought
-propagated by rooted stem cuttings, grafting cultivars onto rootstock, or seeds
-no diseases and pests of ornamental significance (including resistance to powdery mildew, borers, and scales)
-commonly available in the trade |
Hardiness
-zones 3 to 7
Origin
-native to Japan
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U S A G E |
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Assets
-large, showy, creamy-white inflorescences in early June
-shrub form and tree form selections (with the single-leader tree form being quite stately, especially when in flower)
-virtually disease- and pest-free, with no powdery mildew on the foliage
Liabilities
-inflorescences are considered by most to be unpleasantly fragrant
-poor autumn color |
Function
-shrub form may be utilized in borders, rows, group plantings, or as deciduous screens
-tree form is found at entranceways, spacious foundations, large raised planters, as a lawn specimen, or as a street tree
Texture
-medium texture in foliage and when bare
-thick density in foliage and when bare (trees have an open to average density when they are young) |
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S E L
E C T I 0 N S |
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Varieties
and Cultivars
- Search
OSU PlantFacts for additional plants in this species
Alternates
-trees with showy late spring or early summer inflorescences (Koelreuteria paniculata, Magnolia grandiflora, Magnolia virginiana, etc.)
-good ornamental street trees (all must be tree form) (Acer campestre, Amelanchier, Cornus racemosa, Crataegus x lavallei, Koelreuteria paniculata, Malus, Pyrus calleryana, Viburnum lentago, etc.) |