Syringa 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. 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
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,