Included in the state register of botanical collections of the Republic of Belarus (certificate No. 19, issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus on 02.08.2005). Curator of the collection since 1994 - leading researcher, candidate of biological sciences Natalia Viktorovna Makedonskaya.
The collection includes more than 200 taxa of the genus Syringa, belonging to the Olive family (Oleaceae L.).
Lilac is one of the most common ornamental crops in Belarus, it is in high demand among the population. Work on creating a lilac collection began in 1933 and went hand in hand with the development and formation of the Central Botanical Garden as a research institution.
Before the war, seeds of 20 species of lilacs were obtained and sown from delectuses to replenish the arboretum, a nursery was created from 30 varieties of lilac brought from Ukraine.
In the post-war period, work intensified. In 1957, The collection included 44 varieties of common lilac, and a year later - 74 varieties. In 1958, selection work began. Large-scale planting of 219 lilac bushes in the landscape zone of the park was also carried out.
In parallel with the formation of the main part of the collection with classical varieties of French selection, work was carried out to create our own varieties under the supervision of Academician V.N.Smolsky. A distinctive feature of the selection of V.N.Smolsky and V.F. Bibikova was not only its intensity and accelerated methods, but also rapid recognition. Immediately after the first mass flowering of seedlings in 1964, the hybrids were exhibited at the VDNKh of the USSR in Moscow, from where they were widely distributed in the collections of various botanical institutions. At that time, the formation of a collection through mutual exchange was typical for botanical gardens of the former USSR. Almost from exhibitions, Belarusian varieties were transferred to botanical gardens. They still occupy an honorable place in the collections of Moscow, Kyiv, Riga, Vilnius, etc.
The Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus has created 16 varieties that have received worldwide recognition. In 1972, 4 varieties of Belarusian breeders V.N. Smolsky and V.F. Bibikova were included in the International Register of Lilac Varieties.
The targeted work on creating a modern syringarium was successfully continued in the 70-80s by the curator of the collection, PhD E.A. Burova. The collection fund of lilacs consisted of 190 varieties, including late-flowering varieties of the Preston group - 16.
Since 1997, the composition of the collection has increased quantitatively and qualitatively. The collection was replenished with 120 varieties of own-root origin, obtained in vitro, which are capable of self-rejuvenation.
In 2000, morphological-physiological and biochemical certification of the collection was completed, a database was created.
The uniqueness of the collection lies in the quantitative and qualitative composition of the varietal assortment. A number of varieties are available only in the Central Botanical Garden, especially varieties of our own selection. Continuing the selection work, in recent years 3 candidate varieties have been selected from seedlings of free pollination.
The majority of the collection consists of classic varieties of French selection of the Lemoine family. Varieties of Russian and Ukrainian breeders are widely represented, including the brilliant breeder A.L. Kolesnikov. Varieties of breeders from Holland, Germany, the Baltic countries are represented in relatively equal proportions (4%, 5% and 3% respectively). About 3% of the total number are varieties of Canada and America. In the future, the task is to replenish varieties from this region.
The lilac collection of the Central Botanical Garden of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus currently has 248 taxa and has its own originality due to the presence of a number of rare varieties of domestic and world selection. It is deservedly considered a national treasure and is included in the official cadastre of protected collections of Belarus. In 2011, the lilac collection received international recognition and was awarded an honorary diploma by the International Lilac Society for the first time.
In 2015, a new lilac variety, Minsk Beauty, was included in the register of zoned varieties.
The bush is compact, up to 3 m high. Annual shoots are numerous, smooth, olive-green, cylindrical, with barely noticeable lenticels. Internodes are of medium length. Leaves are opposite, broadly ovate to cordate, pointed, with a broadly wedge-shaped base, on petioles, dense, dark green above and lighter below. Inflorescences are pyramidal paired panicles 25-30 cm long, dense, two-three-apical. The flower is semi-double, large, up to 3 cm in diameter. The color of the flower is pinkish, quickly fading to pale pink. The originality of the variety is in the abundance of flowering and the unusual structure of the flower - from multi-petal to semi-double. The aroma is strong and pleasant. The flowering period is average (May 23). The creators and keepers of the collection in different years were V.F. Bibikova, E.A. Burova, G. Matusevich, N.V. Makedonskaya.
The results of lilac research in the Central Botanical Garden are reflected in a number of monographic publications:
The bibliography of the above scientists in periodicals is extensive.
Main fund:
Syringarium:
Nursery:
