Syringa vulgaris (
lilac or
common lilac) is a
species of
flowering plant in the olive
family Oleaceae,
native to the
Balkan Peninsula, where it grows on rocky hills. This species is widely cultivated as an ornamental and has been naturalized in other parts of Europe (
UK,
France,
Germany,
Italy, etc.) as well as much of
North America. It is not regarded as an aggressive species, found in the wild in widely scattered sites, usually in the vicinity of past or present human habitations.