Lilac
Growth habit
Shrub
Perennation
Perennial
Location
Source of plant
Arnold Arboretum
Description
Syringa L. ‘Purple Haze’ (S. protolaciniata × S. oblata subsp. dilatata) was registered 18 Dec. 2003 by its originator Plant Propagator John H. Alexander, III, The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, 125 Arborway, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130-3519. The ortet or original plant (AA 2-92-C) from which the clone was derived originated in 1992. It was selected by Alexander from a group of six seedlings in May 2002. The parents of the controlled cross are S. protolaciniata (AA 577-81-A; probably ‘Kabul’; received as cuttings from the Botanic Garden of the University of Copenhagen, Denmark; coll. S. 1966-1 of Klaus Ferdinand, collected in Barbur Jabul, Afghanistan), and S. oblata subsp. dilatata (AA 789-67-A; vegetative propagation from AA 10202, collected by E.H. Wilson in North Kankyo, 35 km west of Yeiko, Korea). This is believed to be the first successful cross of these two species. Plants of this cultivar will be introduced and distributed by The Arnold Arboretum. Syringa ‘Purple Haze’ is a vigorous shrub with a globose habit. Leaves are similar to those of S. ×chinensis, but occasionally lobate or laciniate. Flowering time coincides with that of S. ×hyacinthiflora cultivars. Thyrses are 10 to 14 cm long, 5 to 7 cm wide; florets are 18 to 19 mm in diameter; corolla lobes are slightly reflexed; moderately fragrant. Flower bud color is Purple Group 75-A, opening to 75-B, eventually fading to 75-C (RHS, 1966, 1986). It is fully winter-hardy in USDA Zone 5, but not yet tested elsewhere. A standard portfolio has been opened at Royal Botanical Gardens Herbarium, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, but is still incomplete.
USDA Hardiness Zone
5