Syringa reticulata Syringa reticulata Syringa reticulata (Japanese tree lilac; ; ) is a species of Lilac, native to eastern Asia: in northern Japan (mainly Hokkaidō), northern China (Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Sichuan), Korea, and far southeastern Russia (Primorye). "Syringa reticulata" is a deciduous small tree growing to a height of 39' (12 m), rarely to 49' (15 m), with a trunk up to 11.8" (30 cm), rarely 15.7" (40 cm) diameter; it is the largest species of lilac, and the only one that regularly makes a small tree rather than a shrub. The leaves are
Tree of the Virgin Tree of the Virgin The Tree of the Virgin is a sycamore tree in the El Matareya suburb of Cairo, Egypt. According to local beliefs, the Virgin Mary and Saint Joseph stopped at El Matareya (then a small village) on the Flight into Egypt. Mary rested against the tree and a spring of water sprang up near it for Mary to wash Jesus. For many years its bark was taken by Christians in the belief that it had miraculous properties. It has been a place of pilgrimage for Coptic Christians for many centuries, who come to pray by it or