Telegraph GK

[cheshunt]

19 d. Mock orange ? 7 letters. 4 blanks N 2 blanks. I have always known this as Philadelphus but that has too many letters. Help please.

[birdwoman]

syringa

[Four Clubs]

Syringa?

[cheshunt]

Of course it is. Many thanks to you both.

[Argee2]

Yes, cheshut, I thought it should be Philadephus, as given by the RHS, but Chambers gives mock-orange as a tall shrub (Philadelphus commonly called syringa) of the saxifrage family with strong scented flowers.

[avis50]

Syringa is in fact lilac. Philadelphus is "mock-orange".

But loads of people call "mock-orange" syringa - no idea why - and I have seen it in dictionaries too.

[burnham]

avis50 (and the RHS) are right. Syringa and philadelphus are two quite separate species. I do wish that dictionaries would get it right. It would save people like KM a lot of agro - it's not her fault if the reference books are wrong.