Summer lilac, butterfly-bush, orange eye

Type Description

Its origin is China. It is a shrub that can grow up to 5 m tall. In years when winters are not very harsh, it exhibits a semi-evergreen behavior (Tallent-Halsell and Watt, 2009). Young shoots, lower leaf surfaces, flower clusters, and leaf stalks are abundantly covered with star-shaped hairs. The shoots are almost quadrangular. Stipules are mostly present. The length of the leaf stalk can be up to 0.5 cm, the leaves are narrowly ovate or narrowly elliptic, toothed margins, acute apex, and 9-14 pairs of lateral veins. The flower clusters are located at the shoot tip and can be up to 30 cm long. Flowers are violet or dark purple, rarely white. Capsule fruits are brown, narrowly elliptic, glabrous, or rarely starry hairy (Cao, 1996). Its life form is a shrub.

Habitat

It is widely cultivated as an ornamental plant in parks and gardens, but it can escape into natural areas, ranging from sea level to over 1000 m altitude. In its spread, it generally prefers moist areas along riverbanks or streams. It easily spreads to areas such as shrubs, untended areas along forest roads, areas disturbed by humans, urban open and vacant areas, riverbank corridors, quarries, cultivated areas, open forests, and transportation corridors (Sarı, 2019). In the Eastern Black Sea Region, especially in the Değirmendere Basin (Trabzon) and Altındere Valley National Park, and in the Eastern Anatolia Region along the Aras River (Erzurum), it has dense populations in stream vegetation. It naturally spreads in Central and Southwest China up to elevations of 3500 m. Moreover, it has spread widely in a large area including Europe (1896), after Europe to America, Australia, New Zealand, and North Africa as an ornamental plant. It has naturalized in most Central European countries and Australia (Sarı, 2019).

Reproductive Information

Lifecycle

Nutrition Information

General Impact Information

It can quickly form dense populations in the areas where it spreads, cutting off the light of native plants in that area and causing harm by competing for water and nutrients. Considering the elevations of its spread, it is considered that it may also harm endemic and rare plants.

General Management Information

General Pathway Information

The plant can produce several million seeds per year. The spread of small seeds primarily occurs through the wind. In its spread along riverbanks, especially rivers and streams are effective in the spread of the species. On the other hand, humans and various transportation vehicles are also important. The species was brought to our country as an ornamental plant. In other words, the primary vector is humans. Then, it expanded its distribution area in our country through wind and rivers. Considering the terminology used internationally, it was deliberately brought to our country (as an ornamental plant).

Notes

The species' high ecological tolerance contributes significantly to its popularity as an ornamental plant, while its naturalization along riverbanks also contributes significantly to its spread. Especially from the upper basin sections to the lower sections, it can easily be transported by rivers and valley winds, thus increasing its spread rate. The species is widely used and cultivated as an ornamental plant. Additionally, it is also used for medicinal purposes (Cao, 1996).

References