Syringa patula 'Miss Kim'
Common name: 
Miss Kim Lilac
Miss Kim Korean Lilac
Miss Kim Manchurian Lilac
Pronunciation: 
si-RING-ga PAT-u-la
Family: 
Oleaceae
Genus: 
Synonyms: 
S. pubescens subsp. patula 'Miss Kim'
Type: 
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Deciduous shrub, 6-8 ft (1.8-2.7 m) tall with similar width, larger with age, dense.  Leaves opposite, simple, elliptic to ovate-oblong, to 8 cm long, dull dark green.  Flowers in paired clusters, 10-15 cm long, purple in bud than light blue, fragrant.
  • Sun or part shade
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 4      The species (S. patula) is native to Korea and northern China.
  • The well-known cultivar, 'Miss Kim', was obtained from seed collected in Korea's Pouk Han Mountains in 1947 by E. M. Meader.  Upon his return to the U.S., Professor Meader germinated the seed and selected a low-stature seedling that "remained free of mildew all summer and turned Burgundy red in autumn for a delightful display" (Fiala, 1988).  The seedling was named 'Miss Kim', Kim being the most common name in Korea, and released by the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station in 1954.
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit, flowering

    plant habit, flowering

  • leaves and opening flowers

    leaves and opening flowers

  • plant habit, flowering

    plant habit, flowering

  • flower clusters and leaves

    flower clusters and leaves

  • flowering hedge

    flowering hedge

  • leaves

    leaves

  • leaves, comparison

    leaves, comparison