Syringa oblata subsp. dilatata Syringa oblata subsp. dilatata Syringa oblata subsp. dilatata, also known as Korean early lilac, is a subspecies of the species "Syringa oblata" in the genus "Syringa", in the family Oleaceae. Gravelly mountains, 100-700m altitude. China: Jilin and Liaoning provinces. Korea: Throughout. Widely cultivated. Notable cultivars include: "Oblata" from the modern Latin "oblatus", meaning 'somewhat flattened at the ends, oval, oblate'. "Dilatata" means 'widened', 'spread out', or 'dilated'. "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
Madonna of the Dry Tree Madonna of the Dry Tree Madonna of the Dry Tree (or Our Lady of the Barren Tree) is a small oil-on-oak panel painting, dated c. 1462–1465, by Early Netherlandish painter Petrus Christus. Unusually innovative and dramatic for its time, it depicts the Virgin Mary holding the Christ Child as she stands on a disembodied dead tree trunk, surrounded by the circular briars of a crown of thorns. The painting is believed to allude to the Book of Ezekiel, with the tree symbolizing the Tree of Knowledge from the Garden of Eden. However, Christus portrays the tree as dead and withered,