Syringa vulgaris four-lobed apex 5–8 mm across, usually lilac to mauve, occasionally white. They are arranged in dense, terminal panicles long. The fruit is a dry, smooth, brown capsule, 1–2 cm long, splitting in two to release the two-winged seeds. "Syringa vulgaris" was first formally described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753 and the description was published in "Species Plantarum". The specific epithet ("vulgaris") is a Latin word meaning "common" or "usual". Lilacs—both "S. vulgaris" and "S." × "persica" the finer, smaller "Persian lilac", now considered a natural hybrid—were introduced into northern European gardens at the end of the 16th century, from Ottoman
Gothenburg Botanical Garden their wild habitats. The pretty Herb Garden, the lush beds of perennials and not least the Kitchen Garden with its crop rotation and typically Swedish syringa arbour are all interesting in their special ways. The Gothenburg Botanical Garden has been well to the fore with a new outlook on how to grow annual plants; the so-called summer blooming concept. As many as 16,000 plant species can be seen out-of-doors as well as 4,000 species in the greenhouses. Among them are Sweden’s finest collection of 1,500 orchids and the unique Toromiro Tree ("Sophora toromiro") from Easter Island. This tree has become