Syringa reticulata subsp. pekinensis Syringa reticulata subsp. pekinensis Syringa reticulata subsp. pekinensis (formerly known as "Syringa pekinensis"), also known as the Pekin lilac or the Chinese tree lilac, grows in an open, multi-stemmed form to a height of , with a spread of . They are native to northern China but grow in USDA hardiness zones 3 through 7. It is grown as an ornamental tree in Europe and North America. Pekin lilacs have arching branches and ovate dark green leaves that are long. They have yellowish-white flowers that bloom in panicles up to long. The panicles change over to loose clusters of brown
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,