Syringa pubescens Syringa pubescens Syringa pubescens is a species of flowering plant in the lilac genus of the family Oleaceae, native to Korea and China (Gansu, Hebei, Henan, Hubei, Jilin, Liaoning, Ningxia, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanxi, Sichuan). Growing to tall and broad, it is a substantial deciduous shrub with green leaves felted white beneath, and panicles of heavily scented, white-throated lilac flowers in early summer. The specific epithet "pubescens" means "downy", referring to the texture of the leaves. Three subspecies (formerly listed as separate species) are recognised: The cultivar "S. pubescens" subsp. "microphylla" 'Superba' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of
Flowering Orchards an intensity through their pairing. Mancoff says of flowering trees and this work, "In his flowering trees, Vincent attained a sense of spontaneity, freeing himself from the strict self-analytical approach he took in Paris. In "Almond Tree in Blossom," Vincent used the light, broken strokes of impressionism and the dabs of colour of divisionism for a sparkling surface effect. The distinctive contours of the tree and its position in the foreground recall the formal qualities of Japanese prints." The southern region and the flowering trees seems to have awakened Van Gogh from his doldrums into a state of clear direction,