This family includes olive trees, forsythia and jasmine. There are many varieties of lilacs grown in gardens all over the world, with numerous flower colours including white, pink, blue and purples varying from pale to reddish to very dark. The common purple lilac described below, known and loved in much of the world for its beauty and fragrance, has been used extensively as an indicator species. Without regular pruning, yearly growth of suckers will make the shrub very dense.
Flower colour varies from pale purple to medium purple.
The flowers later become dry capsules containing two-winged seeds. The leaves are dark green, heat-shaped and hairless. They occur opposite each other on the stem. Each pair of leaves is arranged at right angles to the pair above and below. The erect branches also grow opposite each other.