Lilac

LILAC substantive (Persian, lilac). Botany – Genus of Oleineae, in the subfamily Fraxineae, which includes several species of ornamental shrubs that bloom in early spring and bear small flowers, in numerous and very fragrant bunches: white lilac, red or purple lilac.
– Adjectiv. Blue mixed with red, which is usually the color of lilacs: the lilac color looks very nice.
– Encycl. The common lilac (Syringa vulgaris), is a species found in the wild in Persia and Eastern Europe. It was brought from Conslantinople to the gardens of Europe in 1597. It forms thick groves because of the many shoots it produces, but if those are destroyed, it can grow into a tree 7 meters (23 ft) high or more. The normal color of its flowers is a pale pinkish blue, but it has given rise to white, red and purple varieties, with single or double flowers; among the most beautiful varieties, that which is called Charles X lilac stands out for its huge panicles of magnificent flowers. The Persian lilac (Syringa persina) is a small and delicate shrub 4 to 2 meters (13 to 7 ft) tall, with looser and paler clusters of flowers than the common lilac.
 
Extract from the Trousset encyclopedia, 1886 – 1891.