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
Chicago Botanic Garden by John O. Simonds and Geoffrey Rausch. Several famous buildings have been designed by well-known architects since 1976. The Chicago Botanic Garden opened the Daniel F. and Ada L. Rice Plant Conservation Science Center, located at the south end of the garden, to the public on September 23, 2009. In September 2010, the Plant Science Center earned a GOLD LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating from the U.S. Green Building Council because of its sustainable design. The Chicago Botanic Garden conserves rare plant species, and is working with regional, national and international organizations on behalf of plant conservation.