The Hungarian lilac (Syringa josikaea) is one of the distinctive plant species of Central and Eastern Europe and deserves particular attention from both botanical and conservation perspectives. Its populations in Transcarpathia have previously been studied in detail by Dr Erzsébet Kohut, Head of the Department of Biology and Chemistry at Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University. Research on the ex situ propagation of the species has also been carried out at the Szikura József Botanical Garden in Velyka Berehy. For this reason, the professional experience of Rákóczi University may play an important role in the international collaboration.
In preparation for the collaboration, representatives of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, Ferenc Rákóczi II Transcarpathian Hungarian University, and the Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences held a professional meeting. Rákóczi University was represented by Dr Erzsébet Kohut, Head of the Department of Biology and Chemistry, and Dr István Kolozsvári, Director of the Fodor István Research Centre. The Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences was represented by Professor Mária Höhn, a member of the Department of Botany at the Institute of Agronomy and Head of the Soroksár Botanical Garden. The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University was represented by Dr. Michael S. Dosmann, Keeper of the Living Collections, and Dr. Miles Schwartz Sax, Assistant Curator of Living Collections.
The initial contact was made with Dr. Sax of the Arnold Arboretum following the professional recommendation of Prof. Dr Mária Höhn. Lilacs are a group of plants of special importance to the Arnold Arboretum and one of its most celebrated collections. Within the Arboretum landscape visitors can experience over five hundred individual accessions of lilac species and cultivated varieties hailing from across the temperate world. The Arnold Arboretum has a strong focus on the collection, study, and conservation of plants of wild origin with precisely documented provenance. The Hungarian lilac (Syringa josikaea) came into focus for the Arnold Arboretum as a priority species on its Campaign for Living Collections, the institutions signature collections development initiative. It was specifically targeted because the Hungarian Lilac is a species of global conservation concern, and because the Arnold Arboretum does not currently have any wild-origin accessions within its collections.
During the meeting, the parties reviewed possible directions for collaboration. The discussion covered the provision of herbarium specimens and propagation material for scientific purposes, joint field studies of the natural populations of the species in Transcarpathia, and methodological questions related to germination and phenological observations. The joint work may contribute to the collection of more precise scientific data on the occurrence of the Hungarian lilac in Transcarpathia and to strengthening the long-term conservation of the species through the involvement of international botanical collections.
The parties also discussed the formal framework for future collaboration. The initiative may represent an important step in strengthening scientific links between Rákóczi University, the Soroksár Botanical Garden, and the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, as well as in supporting the research and conservation of the Hungarian lilac at an international level.
