
Fragrant New Lilac for Warmer
ClimatesBy Jesús
García October 26, 2000A new lilac cultivar with increased
disease resistance is the first release from the
Agricultural Research Services
lilac genetic improvement program. The new Syringa cultivar, called
Betsy Ross, has greater resistance to powdery mildew, the biggest
disease problem for lilacs in the Washington, D.C., area. ARS scientists with the Floral and Nursery Plants
Research Laboratory at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C.,
released Betsy Ross to nurseries for commercial sale in July. The common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, so enchanted the peoples of
southeastern Europe and temperate Asia with its singular scent and pale
lavender flower that it did not take long for aficionados to introduce it to
the New World. The lilacs pleasures were so renowned, in fact, that it
was the first flowering shrub--after the rose--to be imported to the New World
in the 1600s. The Betsy Ross cultivar was developed under a program that was
started by plant breeder Don Egolf in the 1960s. The cultivar was developed
from a cross using the lilac Syringa oblata, which was collected in
China in 1976. Asia has long been the origin of popular lilac varieties here in
the United States. The Korean lilac, for example, typically the earliest to
bloom in the United States, was introduced to the U.S. in the 19th century. Starting in 1992, the Betsy Ross lilac was distributed to
cooperating nurseries throughout the United States to evaluate its superior
performance. Its resistance to powdery mildew, its fragrant white flowers, lush
green foliage, compact growth habit, disease tolerance and adaptation to warmer
climates ensured its success. The new shrub thrives under full sun and can be
used as a background planting in a shrub border, as a specimen plant or hedge
or mass-planted throughout USDA hardiness
zones 5-7. Genetic material from this new cultivar will be deposited in the
National Plant Germplasm System to
make it available to researchers and others interested in developing and
commercializing new cultivars. ARS is the chief scientific agency in the U.S.
Department of Agriculture. Scientific contact: Margaret R. Pooler, ARS Floral and Nursery Plants
Research Unit, U.S.
National Arboretum, Washington, D.C., phone (202) 245-4568, fax (202)
245-4579, [email protected]. U.S. Department of Agriculture | |