THE LILAC ZONE

Aside from color and the number of petals found on a lilac floret, the floret can also differ radically in size, depending on the cultivar. The old-fashioned purple vulgaris, has a moderately-sized floret, while some of the cultivars that I have been attracted to can have florets the size of an American silver half-dollar or larger!

Not to be confused with "multipetaled" lilacs are the double-petaled lilacs. These lilacs look somewhat different than the multipetaled variety. Note in these pictures that although the flowers have more than 4 petals, the petals are produced in "layers". Those petals closest to the observer are typically smaller than those in the outermost layer. As you can probably imagine, a multitude of florets having this layering of petals make the panicles have the appearance of looking "fluffy". Yes, I called them "fluffy"-looking. I realize that the term "fluffy" is not all that commonly associated with flowers but that is what tends to come to mind when I see double-petaled varieties (no doubt another reminder that the education you may be getting when reading this site is not accredited.)

On occasion, lilacs will produce a floret that exhibits what is called "radial doubling". In this instance, the corolla, or inner portion of the floret may be doubled and the floret may have anywhere between 5 to 20+ (no, that is not a typo!) petals. This trait is called "multipetaling". One particular lilac, 'Rochester', routinely produces florets that have multipetaling. As such, it has been used to hybridize other lilacs that will do the same. These lilacs are considered  'Rochester'-strain lilacs and tend to be some of my favorite.

Some lilacs produce petals that are considered "reflexed", in which they bend backwards from the middle of the floret. The amount of curvature can vary depending on the cultivar. In the example to the left, the curvature is extreme, with the petals actually being whirled or twisted like a propeller as well.

One of the first distinctions in florets is whether they are considered single or double-petaled. Single-petaled florets typically have 4 petals as can be seen here, though that is not to say that florets cannot produce more than 4 petals (as you will see below).The shape of the petals can vary quite a bit as well. In this example, the edges of the petals actually curve in, which is described as "cucullate" or hooded petals.

Lilac florets come in many shapes and sizes. Frankly, there are so many classifications that I have yet to have the best grasp of the subject. For those interested in just learning about the basic differences, here are a couple of distinctions between florets. If you want to understand the differences further, I would recommend buying the book "Lilacs: A Gardener's Encyclopedia" written by John L. Fiala, most recently revised and updated by Freek Vrugtman.