Tree of the day: Tilia platyphyllos, Large-leaved lime or linden, Knight Palmer lawn
Tilia platyphyllos is a species of deciduous broadleaf flowering plants (in the Malvaceae or Mallow family), native to Britain, Europe and northern Iran.
Tilia platyphyllos is a species of deciduous broadleaf flowering plants (in the Malvaceae or Mallow family), native to Britain, Europe and northern Iran. It is a large tree, which may grow to 40 metres. It has large heart-shaped sharply toothed leaves, which are dark green and slightly rough above and mid-green underneath.
In late June and early July it has small light yellow–green fragrant flowers in bunches of about four, hanging below the leaves; they are attractive to bees and important for honey production. Lime flowers can also be used to make herbal tea (lime tea or linden tea, unrelated to citrus lime, which is genus Citrus). As in all Tilia species, the flowers are accompanied by long ribbon-shaped leaves (bracts), which become noticeable in summer because they turn yellow earlier than the other leaves; nonetheless, they persist on the tree into autumn, along with the clusters of small round dry fruit.
Tilia platyphyllos is one of the three native Tilia (lime or linden) species (all present in Whiteknights Park). It can be distinguished by the small white hairs covering the underside of the leaves, giving them a furry feel, whereas the other species (Tilia × europaea and Tilia cordata) leaves are hairless on the underside, except for small patches near to the major veins. Also, the leaves of Tilia platyphyllos are generally larger than those of Tilia cordata, there are fewer flowers in the bunches, and Tilia platyphyllos does not have the tendency of the other species to sprout from the base of the trunk.
Tilia platyphyllos prefers well-drained soils, typically limestone (but the word "limestone" is unrelated to "lime" tree). It grows further south in Europe than Tilia cordata. Many ancient village limes of central Europe are Tilia platyphyllos. In folklore across Europe limes are associated with fertility, justice, romance and liberty. Because of its size, shade and beauty, Tilia platyphyllos is planted along streets, in gardens and in parks.
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about this species
This photo is one of 9581 photos of 867 trees in 327 species
This website is a virtual arboretum, created for interest, education and beauty. It exhibits some of the thousands of trees, of both native and exotic species, that grow in Whiteknights Park, the main campus of the University of Reading. Many of them have been planted since the university arrived in 1947, but some have been here since the 19th century or earlier, when Whiteknights was the gardens and parkland of large houses. Nine of the trees are listed as the British Isles champions of their species in The Tree Register.
Please send any comments about this website to whiteknights-trees@reading.ac.uk.
The previous version of this website is here.
Acknowledgements
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank: Rupert Taylor, Owen Johnson, Alastair Culham, Jonathan Mitchley, Marcus Wheeler, Benoît Vannière, Miguel Teixeira and Claire Hawkins for tree identifications; Brian Hunt and Trevor Smith for testing routes and contributing text; Dylan Parkes, Martin Watts, Emilija Rudzinskaite, Brian and Trevor for collaboration on the centenary project; Dan Hodson for useful code examples; Studio Lift for website style; Brian, Trevor and Nathanaël van Twillert for comments and suggestions on website user experience; Benoît, Marcus, Steve George, Brian, Trevor, the Friends of the University of Reading, and other friends for their encouragement during the development of the website; the University and its grounds staff for maintaining Whiteknights Park.