Persian Lilac Can Be Different Things to Different People

Q. I believe you made an error last week about the Chinaberry tree. You said it "is also called Persian lilac and in the United States we sometimes call it the Texas umbrella tree." I do not believe that the Persian lilac is related at all to the umbrella tree. We had both in our yard years ago, and they were quite different.

A. Thanks for your comment and you are right, there is more than one plant called “Persian lilac”. This is where the common names can be confusing. 

            The Chinaberry tree (Melia azedarach) can also be nicknamed the Persian lilac because of the very perfumy flowers it produces in spring. You can google any of these names on Wikipedia.

Melia azedarach on Wikipedia 

            There is another plant, also called Persian lilac (Syringa x persica), a hybrid lilac very closely related to common and Chinese lilac which is probably what you were growing. 

Image of Syringa x persica 

            We have the same problem with another plant we call mock orange. Locally, our mock orange is a Pittosporum tobira (Wheeler's Dwarf). This is not the same mock orange known by most of the country. When I was in school, mock orange was a totally different plant with the scientific name Philadelphus coronarius, a flowering relative of hydrangea whose flowers were used for garlands because they have a strong citrus fragrance.

Image of Pittosporum Wheelers Dwarf aka Mock orange 

 Image of Philadelphus coronarius aka Mock orange

            I do not to use scientific names in my newspaper column but common names can be confusing for this reason. I appreciate these comments because I'm sure others were thinking the same.