Cloned Plants Project

	Lilac phenophases. Photo credit: Mark Schwartz.

The root of the USA-NPN Cloned Plants Project is the historic cloned lilac project. The cloned lilac available through the USA-NPN is Syringa x chinensis 'Red Rothomagensis'. Cloned lilacs can be obtained for planting and subsequent observation as part of the USA-NPN. Review the distribution and purchase options and if you would like to be included on the USA-NPN Cloned Lilac waiting list, please select yes when you sign up as an observer. 

Once you have received your cloned lilac, check the information on selecting a planting site and on planting and care of the lilac. The lilac phenology is observed and recorded using the same monitoring instructions as on the How to Observe page and using the details on the cloned lilac plant profile page.

Program roots

For over 50 years cooperators in the United States and Canada have assisted phenological researchers by making phenological observations on cloned lilacs and honeysuckles. This program has now been incorporated into the USA-NPN's Cloned Plants Project. Previously it had been part of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee's Indicator Observation Program.

The three plants of the UW-Milwaukee program were the cloned lilac, the common lilac, and the cloned honeysuckle.The lilac available through nurseries or growing from previous plantings is generally the common lilac, Syringia vulgaris. Although the common lilac is not cloned, their response to climate is often uniform. Some observers that obtained cloned plant material through the UW-Milwaukee program may have cloned honeysuckle, Lonicera tatarica 'Arnold Red'. Due to their invasive nature, honeysuckles have not been distributed to observers since 1987. The USA-NPN does not distribute the honeysuckle nor support their distribution. The USA-NPN does accept observations from historically established cloned honeysuckles.

More information on the Cloned Plants Project, the history of the project and the scientific findings and applications of the data from this project are available.