Syringa oblata

Syringa oblata is a species in the genus Syringa, in the family Oleaceae. It is also known as early blooming lilac or broadleaf lilac.

Similar to Syringa vulgaris, but flowers earlier and has very different leaves. Most commonly seen lilac species in China.

Gravelly mountains, roadsides, stream banks, thickets, valleys, and woods. 100-2600m altitude.

China: Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, and northwest Sichuan provinces.

Korea: Throughout.

Widely cultivated in most areas of China.

Many hybrids are cultivated throughout Europe and the Americas, including numerous cultivars of S. x hyacinthiflora, Victor Lemoine's hybrid with S. vulgaris.

Oblata from the modern Latin oblatus, meaning 'somewhat flattened at the ends, oval, oblate'. Syringa is derived from the Greek word syrinx, meaning 'pipe' or 'tube'. Named for the use of its hollow stems to make flutes. In Greek mythology, the nymph Syringa was changed into a reed.