Lilacs in the garden of a chemical institution show a wide variety of characteristics. They come in different colors from white to purple. Their petals can be various shapes and sizes. Most have 4 petals but some have 5, 6, 7 or even 8 petals. The author speculates that the environment created by chemists led to mutants with traits like Siam twins or underdeveloped petals. Though not initially fond of lilacs, the author became fascinated by their diversity in color, shape and number of petals.