Japanese Tree Lilac
 

Mature Size, Growth, Longevity

Average mature size of 20-30' tall and 15-25' wide. Upright habit. May have multiple trunks. Oval to round-topped. Large shrub to small tree. Medium growth rate, 9-12' over 6-8 years.

Native Range

Native to northern Japan introduced 1878.

Flower and Fruit Details

Flowers are creamy, fragrant, borne in large, terminal panicles, 6-12" long and 6-10" wide. Blooms from late May into June, much later than the common shrub lilacs. The white flowers have yellow anthers, which creates the overall, creamy-white appearance. Fruits are dehiscent capsules, warty, glabrous, scimitar-shaped, 0.75" long, blunt at apex, August to October.

Leaf and Bark Features

Deciduous: Leaves are opposite, simple, entire, ovate, 2-5.5" long and half as wide, acuminate at the tip, dark green on top, gray-green and reticulate beneath and glabrous to slightly pubescent, with a 0.5-1" petiole. No significant fall color. Notable Bark: Bark is glossy, cherry-like, reddish-brown to brownish, with prominent horizontal lenticels. Often confused with a cherry during the winter, until one notes the opposite buds on the lilac twigs. Bark on young twigs even peels like cherry bark.

Culture and Care

Easy to transplant into loose, well-drained, slightly acid soil, in full sun for best flowering. Faded flowers may be pruned off with a pole pruner. Lilacs are actually quite pH adaptable, tolerating alkaline soils very well. Zones 3-7. Seldom has many insect or disease problems, but is susceptible to bacterial blight, phytopthora blight, leaf blights and spots, wilt and other pathological problems. Resistant to powdery mildew, scale and lilac borers.

Strengths, Weaknesses, Other Facts

Has been referred to as "the finest of the tree lilacs." Author and plantsman, Dr. Michael Dirr, calls it "possibly the most trouble-free lilac," and he considers it "the toughest of the lilacs." Some find the privet-like fragrance of the flowers unappealing. Also known as 'Morton'.

Suggested Uses

Makes an excellent street tree or specimen tree. Good in group plantings or in front of large buildings.

Taxa and Plants of this Species at BCA