As with all plants, the beautiful, pleasantly scented lilac flowers develop into fruits with germinable seeds. In this article we show what these look like and whether they are suitable for human consumption.
What do the fruits of the lilac look like?
The flowers of the lilac develop intobrown, elongated,mostlytwo-fruited capsule fruits by autumn. The seeds in the chambers are flat and slightly winged. After being exposed to cold, they can be used for propagation.
Can you eat the fruits of lilacs?
Although theflowersof the lilac are considerededible,but allother partsof the plant - and therefore also the small fruits of the lilac -containessential oils,bitter substancesand theglycoside syringin. The slightly poisonous lilac seeds are not suitable for consumption as they can cause symptoms such as nausea, diarrhea or headaches in sensitive people and children.
Can you use the fruits for propagation?
Theseeds contained in the fruits are germinable and can be used to propagate lilacs:
- In order to be able to harvest the seeds, do not cut off the withered branches.
- Let the seeds ripen until autumn.
- Before sowing, the seeds must be stratified.
- Sown in sowing soil next spring, the seeds germinate quite reliably.
Tip
Attention: Lilac berries are not the fruit of the lilac
You have probably already found the term “lilac berries” on a pack of fruit tea in the list of ingredients. These are not the fruits of the lilac (Syringa), but rather elderberries (Sambucus). The elderberry, whose berries are edible after heating, is also called lilac in some regions.
