Syringa × laciniata Syringa × laciniata Syringa × laciniata, the cut-leaf lilac or cutleaf lilac, is a hybrid lilac of unknown, though old origin. It is thought to be a hybrid between "Syringa vulgaris" from southeastern Europe and "Syringa protolaciniata" from western China. Although often cited as being from China, it more likely arose somewhere in southwestern Asia, where it was first scientifically described from cultivated plants in the 17th century, possibly Iran or Afghanistan, or Pakistan, where it has been cultivated since ancient times. It is a deciduous shrub growing to 2 m tall. The leaves are 2–4 cm long, variably entire
A Flowering Tree: A Woman's Tale from around the world, "A Flowering Tree" synthesizes two discrete elements: first, an impossible narrative (a girl turns into a tree; a prince marries a peasant), and second, mythic archetypes which resonate deeply with all of us, no matter what our beliefs. According to Ramannujan himself who analysed the folk tale while translating it - "It is a story of woman's ecology and vulnerability of her emerging sexuality..." This was published posthumously and edited by Stuart Blackburn and Alan Dundes along with other folktales compiled and translated by Ramanujan. His story was adapted into an opera by John Adams in