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
Philadelphus × purpureomaculatus Award of Garden Merit. Philadelphus × purpureomaculatus Philadelphus" × "purpureomaculatus is a flowering plant in the family Hydrangeaceae, of garden origin. It is a hybrid between "P." × "lemoinei" and "P. mexicanus" 'Rose Syringa'. Growing to tall by broad, it is a deciduous shrub with broadly oval leaves up to long, and single, cup-shaped flowers in summer (June in the Northern Hemisphere). The flowers, which are strongly fragrant, are pure white with prominent purple markings near the centre; hence the Latin specific epithet "purpureomaculatus", literally "purple spotted". Valued in the garden as a summer-flowering shrub, the cultivar 'Sybille' has gained