Crossword Dictionary
lilac
lilac - n
any of various plants of the genus Syringa having large panicles of usually fragrant flowers
Syringa (lilac) is a genus of 12 currently recognized species of flowering woody plants in the olive family (Oleaceae), native to woodland and scrub from southeastern Europe to eastern Asia, and widely and commonly cultivated in temperate areas elsewhere.
Lilacs are used as food plants by the larvae of some moth species, including copper underwing, scalloped oak and Svensson's copper underwing.
Common lilac bushes (Syringa vulgaris) are deciduous shrubs that bloom in the springtime. They are part of the olive family, along with other such ornamental plants as ash trees, forsythia bushes, and privet hedges. The outstanding quality of many lilac varieties is the sweet fragrances of their flowers. The blooms appear in branching clusters or panicles. Each flower is only about 1/3 inch across. The leaves are gray-green to blue-green in color and reach around 2 to 5 inches long; they do not change color in the fall. And the bark of this shrub is gray to grayish brown. The best time to plant lilac bushes is in the early fall before the ground freezes. They have a moderate growth rate of 1 to 2 feet per year.