Rochester Lilac Festival

My wife and I traveled to Rochester, N.Y. last week to see my wife's sister and her husband. Our timing was perfect as the city of Rochester was in the midst of its annual Lilac Festival. This festival was first begun in 1898, so our visit coincided with the 120th anniversary of the festival. After a rainy morning we took a leasurly walk through Highland Park (designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, famous for also desigining New York city’s Central Park) in the early afternoon. The city of Rochester used to be a major center for milling of wheat and was known as "Flour City" back in the late 1800's. The addition of Highland Park ("donated to the City by George Ellwanger and Patrick Barry, two horticulturalists and nursery owners whose seed catalogs brought national attention to Rochester" The Rochester Lilac Festival) gave Rochester the revised nickname “Flour-Flower City.”

Lively Lilac (D. Rhodes)

The common lilac, Syringa vulgaris, is a member of the olive family (Oleaceae) of angiosperms, closely related to jasmine. It likely originated in the northern Balkan Peninsula and was then brought to Europe in the late 1500's, and ultimately transported to North America from Europe by early settlers.

I am very pleased to share some of the photographs I took of the wonderful collection of lively lilacs (over 1,000 bushes and 200 different varieties) that were in full bloom, along with magnificent magnolias, tumultuous tulips, perfect pansies, and riotous rhododendrons. The only thing I cannot share is the fabulous, intoxicating scent emitted by the lilacs.

Lively Lilac (D. Rhodes)

"The beautiful fragrance of lilac flowers has recently been investigated by modern headspace techniques, revealing (E)-B-ocimene to be the major component, and the most characteristic components to be the furanoid terpene aldehyde 'lilac aldehyde' and the corresponding alcohol (four diastereoisomers each), benzyl methyl ether, 1,4-dimethoxybenzene (hydroquinone dimethyl ether) and indole. In fact the diffusive aura of lilacs in full bloom is highly influenced by the compound benzyl methyl ether. This simple but rare chemical has an intense fruity-etheral odor, reminiscent of the top note in ylang-ylang oil. Minor constituents of the lilac headspace are anisaldehyde, 8-oxolinalool, cinnamic alcohol and elemicin." (Essential Oils)

"Whilst (E)-beta-ocimene is the major component of their fragrance, it is also contributed to by lilac aldehyde and lilac alcohol. Like rose oxide, both of these compounds have a number of different isomers, with varying impacts on the overall scent of the flowers. Benzyl methyl ether also has a significant impact on their scent when they are in full bloom, contributing a fruity odour." (The Chemical Compounds Behind the Smell of Flowers: Lilacs)

Biosynthesis of lilac aldehyde and lilac alcohol has been studied in Syringa vulgaris using deuterium and oxygen-18 labeled precursors. The carbon skeletons of lilac aldehyde and lilac alcohol derive from the plastidic mevalonate-independent 1-deoxy-D-xylose 5-phosphate/2C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate (MEP) pathway described in an earlier post on Floral Scent. Monoterpenes ocimeme and linalool are 10-carbon monoterpenes typically derived from this pathway. Linalool is then further metabolized to form the lilac aldehyde and lilac alcohol diastereoisomers described above:

• Burkhardt, D., Mosandl, A. Biogenetic studies in Syringa vulgaris L.: bioconversion of (18)O(2H)-labeled precursors into lilac aldehydes and lilac alcohols. J. Agric. Food Chem. 51: 7391-7395 (2003)

• Kreck, M., Püschel, S., Wüst, M., Mosandl, A. Biogenetic studies in Syringa vulgaris L.: synthesis and bioconversion of deuterium-labeled precursors into lilac aldehydes and lilac alcohols. J. Agric. Food Chem. 51: 463-469 (2003)

Lively Lilac (D. Rhodes)

Lively Lilac (D. Rhodes)

Lively Lilac (D. Rhodes)

Lively Lilac (D. Rhodes)

Perfect Pansies (D. Rhodes)

Perfect Pansies (D. Rhodes)

Riotous Rhododendron (D. Rhodes)

Tumultuous Tulips (D. Rhodes)

Magnificent Magnolia (D. Rhodes)

Magnificent Magnolia (D. Rhodes)

Magnificent Magnolia (D. Rhodes)