Short Description
Large-leaved lime can grow up to 40 m tall. The crown is high and slightly curved with steeply rising branches.
The leaves are heart-shaped to rounded, tapering to a pointed tip. The leaves are borne in two rows. The top of the leaves is hairy. The underside has brown hairs along the leaf veins. The leaf margin is regularly sharply serrated and the stalk hairy.
The bark is dark grey with fine fissures.
The white flowers are clustered in cymes and have an intense scent. The flower head axis is fused with a narrow, light-green floral bract.
The fruits are spherical, thin-shelled and noticeably angular nutlets.
Features
Large-leaved lime
Tilia platyphyllos
leaves with hairy tops
white hairs in the leaf vein axils (older leaves)
flowers with a whitish floral bract
In the city
Large-leaved lime trees are popular trees in parks and along roads. It prefers semi-shaded sites with high humidity.
The honeydew from aphids dropping from the leaves make lime trees unpopular in some areas because cars and bicycles get covered with a sticky layer.
Fun Facts
Lime blossom honey is one of the most popular varieties of honey. It is produced from the nectar of the flowers. By contrast, lime honey is made from the honeydew of aphids.
Limewood is light and soft. It has many different uses. The bast fibres are used to make basket and rope products.
It flowers from May to June.
The fruit ripening season is in September.
- Endangerment level Germany: not endangered
The flowers are used as a tea. Lime blossoms are said to have a sweat-inducing and blood-cleansing effect.
Sources
Blatt, Sten Porse, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tilia-platyphyllos-leaves.JPG
Habitus, Antiope05411, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tilia_platyphyllos_Kellerwald_001.JPG
Frucht, MurielBendel, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tilia_platyphyllos_fruit.jpg
Aas, G. & Riedmiller, A. (2002) Laubbäume. Bestimmen – Kennenlernen – Schützen, Bindlach: Gondrom Verlag.
Amann, G. & Richter, P. (1962) Bäume und Sträucher des Waldes, Melsungen: Verlag J. Neumann – Neudamm.
Böhlmann, D. (2015) Laubbäume temperierter Klimate mit ihrer Artenvielfalt, Berlin: Patzer Verlag.
Mitchell, A. (1975) Die Wald- und Parkbäume Europas. Ein Bestimmungsbuch, Hamburg und Berlin: Verlag Paul Parey.
Quartier, A. (1989) Bäume und Sträucher, München: BLV.
Roloff, A. (2013) Bäume in der Stadt. Besonderheiten - Funktion - Nutzen - Arten - Risiken, Stuttgart: Verlag Eugen Ulmer.
Page „Sommerlinde“. : Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Date of last revision: 08.05.2016, 03:29 UTC. URL: https://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sommerlinde&oldid=154184868 (Accessed: 19.05.2016).