Tilia cordata, thesmall-leaved lime orsmall-leaved linden, is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to much of Europe. Its other common names includelittle-leaf orlittleleaf linden,[2] or traditionally in South East England,pry orpry tree.[3] Its range extends fromBritain through mainland Europe to theCaucasus and western Asia. In the south of its range it is restricted to high elevations.[4][5]
T. platyphyllos (left) andT. cordata leaf comparison
Tilia cordata is adeciduous tree growing to 20–40 m (66–131 ft) tall, diameter one-third to one-half the height, with a trunk up to 1 m (3 ft) diameter. The largest known trunk circumference was a specimen inNärke, Sweden, that measured 8.35 metres (27.4 ft) circumference at chest height. Some lime trees in Germany are said to be over 1000 years old.[6] The bark is smooth and grayish when young, and firm with vertical ridges and horizontal fissures when older. The crown is rounded in a formal oval shape to pyramidal. Branching is upright and increases in density with age.[7] Theleaves are alternately arranged, rounded to triangular-ovate, 3–8 cm (1.2–3.1 in) long and broad, mostly hairless (unlike the relatedTilia platyphyllos) except for small tufts of brown hair in the leaf vein axils – the leaves are distinctively heart-shaped. Thebuds are alternate, pointed egg shaped and have red scales.
Tilia cordata seedling with cotyledons
It has no terminal bud.[7] The small yellow-greenhermaphroditeflowers are produced in clusters of five to eleven in early summer with a leafy yellow-green subtendingbract, and have a rich, heavy scent; the trees are much visited bybees, the erect flowers of which being held above the bract. It's in this way that the flower arrangements ofTilia cordata are distinct from that of the Common Lime (Tilia × europaea), where the flowers are held beneath the bract. Thefruit is a dry nut-likedrupe, 6–7 mm long by 4 mm broad, containing 1-2 brown seeds (infertile fruits are globose), downy at first becoming smooth at maturity, and (unlikeT. platyphyllos,T. × europaea) not ribbed but very thin and easily cracked open.[4]
The trees favour good, loamy sites, but can also be found on sandy, infertile soils, and are not thought to be drought resistant. Dormant shoots ofTilia cordata can resist winter frost temperatures as low as −34 °C (−29 °F).[8]
In BritainTilia cordata, traditionally called pry, is considered an indicator ofancient woodland, and is becoming increasingly rare.[9] Owing to its rarity, a number of woods have been givenSSSI status. Cocklode Wood, part of theBardney Limewoods inLincolnshire, is the best surviving spread ofmedieval small leaved limes in England.[10] Another site isShrawley Wood inWorcestershire.[11] Small-leaved lime was once regarded asholy and good forcarving.[12]
Trees in northern England were found to have established when the climate was warmer and have adapted to the cooling climate.Paleobotanical analysis of tree pollen preserved in peat deposits demonstrates thatTilia cordata was present as a woodland tree in the southernLake District c 3100 B.C.[13] In spite of the late migration ofT. cordata into the Lake District, pollen diagrams from many sites show rapid expansion so that, within a few centuries, it had become plentiful and even locally dominant in the southern valleys. Maximum values forTilia from all pollen diagrams available for the north of England show a conspicuous concentration of high values in the southern Lake District. At several sites among the limestone hills on both sides of the estuary of theRiver Kent, the curves forTilia, although beginning about 4800 to 4000 B.C. then achieve values of at least 10% within a few centuries. AtWitherslack inCumbria, values of this magnitude persist for a depth of 3 m (10 ft) which represents about 4000 years. For much of this periodUlmus is approximately 10%,Quercus 20% and the remaining arboreal pollen is largely that ofAlnus. For a shorter periodTilia exceedsQuercus and reaches a maximum of 30%. The (Witherslack) basin is about 200 m (660 ft) in width, so that with distance correction factors applied this indicates that the surrounding woodlands on well-drained soils containedTilia,Quercus andUlmus in the proportions 4 : 1 : 1. Modern mature woodland trees were estimated to have germinated between 1150 and 1300AD, making them around 800 years old. Precise age determination is impossible asheartwood at the centre disintegrates and therefore rings cannot be counted, and other methods are used.[14]
The tree is fairly disease-resistant, though a common problem isleaf scorch where planted on dry soils, however leaf scorch is not a long-term problem as the leaves are lost in the autumn. Pests includeJapanese beetles,aphids,lace bugs and various species of moths,[15] such asLymantria dispar dispar (Gypsy moth). This moth is one of the top 100 invasive species in North America, introduced byÉtienne Léopold Trouvelot, and citizens are encouraged to remove Gypsy moth egg masses and cocoons from tree bark in order to help prevent the spread of this species.[16]
15-year-old lime-tree, Haute-Savoie, France300-year-old tree, near Kirchhausen,Heilbronn
Tilia cordata is widely grown as anornamental tree. It was much planted to formavenues in 17th and early 18th century landscape planning. A famous example isUnter den Linden inBerlin. It is also widely cultivated inNorth America as a substitute for the nativeTilia americana (American linden or basswood) which has a larger leaf, coarser in texture; there it has been renamed "Little-leaf Linden". It is popular as a shade tree with its dense canopy, as an ornamental tree with its architectural shape, and as a street tree. In the US,Tilia cordata has been planted in Wellesley, MA; Modesto, CA; Chicago, IL; Indianapolis, IN; and Atlanta, GA as street trees.[17] In Europe, there areespaliered trees owing to the ability to survive heavy pruning.Tilia cordata is an easy tree to train for bonsai when the training is not done all at once. Letting the tree recoup in between sessions over a period of several months creates a healthy, good-looking miniature tree.[18] Prior to the advent of firearms, it was also commonly used for making shields (as referenced inBeowulf).
Tilia cordata survives best in asoil pH range of 5.0 to 8.0.[19] and in USDA Hardiness Zones 3–7.[20] The tree prefers moist, well drained soil, but can survive flooding; it is not highly drought tolerant.[15] It does not do well in soils with highsalinity.[21]
TheNajevnik linden tree (Slovene:Najevska lipa), about 700 years old, has the broadest trunk of any tree inSlovenia at 10.7 m (35 ft). It is a place of cultural events and every June, a national meeting of Slovene politicians takes place under it.[22]
'Corinthian' ('Corzam') – dense, uniform limb spacing creates a compact, pyramidal, formal shape; darker and smaller leaves; resistant toJapanese beetles.[20]
'Greenspire' – the most common, a cross between the cultivar 'Euclid' and a selection from the Boston Parks, broadly used as a street tree, survives better under difficult conditions, overall a good looking, quick growing tree.[20]
'June Bride' – significantly pyramidal habit, evenly spaced branches around a very straight central leader, glossier leaves, and 3 to 4 times as many flowers.[20]
Mature fruitsTiliae flos: Flowers (and impurities consisting of other parts) ofTilia cordata as commonly used in linden flower tea
In the countries of Central, Southern and Western Europe, linden flowers are a traditional herbal remedy made into anherbal tea called lime tea[25] or linden tea in Britain, tilleul in France,[26] tila in Spain.
A monofloralhoney is produced bybees using the trees and is widely used all over Europe. "Linden honey" is said to be nutritious and to have medicinal qualities.
^Jensen, J.S. (2003)."Lime -Tilia spp"(PDF).EUFORGEN Technical Guidelines for Genetic Conservation and Use: 6 p. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 2017-01-31. Retrieved2017-01-19.
^Phillips, Leonard E. Jr. (1993). Joel Stein (ed.).Urban Trees: A Guide for Selection, Maintenance, and Master Planning. United States of America: McGraw-Hill. p. 259.
^abcdDirr, Michael A. (2009).Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (6th ed.). Champaign, IL: Stipes. pp. 1148–1149.ISBN978-1-58874-868-3.
^Kotuby-Amacher, Jan (March 2000)."Salinity and Plant Tolerance"(PDF). Electronic Publishing. pp. 1–8. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 7 March 2014. Retrieved28 February 2014.
^Šmid Hribar, Mateja."Najevska lipa" [Najevnik Linden Tree]. In Šmid Hribar, Mateja; Golež, Gregor; Podjed, Dan; Kladnik, Drago; Erhartič, Bojan; Pavlin, Primož; Ines, Jerele (eds.).Enciklopedija naravne in kulturne dediščine na Slovenskem – DEDI [Encyclopedia of Natural and Cultural Heritage in Slovenia] (in Slovenian). Retrieved28 August 2013.
