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Tilia
Also called Basswood, Linden, Limes, Basswood, Lime, Linden, Lime Tree, Tilleul, Lindens
Tilia, the lime, linden or basswood, is a genus of about 30 mostly large deciduous trees native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. It is grown mainly as a shade and avenue tree, and the species and cultivars commonly planted in gardens are generally hardy, sun-loving trees that need deep, moist soil.
Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The species are known as linden or lime for the European and Asian species, and linden or basswood for North American species and more generally in American literature. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, but the genus also occurs widely in Europe and eastern North America. Under the Cronquist classification system, this genus was placed in the family Tiliaceae, but genetic research summarised by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has resulted in the incorporation of this genus, and of most of the previous family, into the Malvaceae.
Tilia is the only known ectomycorrhizal genus in the family Malvaceae. Studies of ectomycorrhizal relations of Tilia species indicate a wide range of fungal symbionts and a preference toward Ascomycota fungal partners.
Aphids are attracted by the rich supply of sap, and are in turn often "farmed" by ants for the production of the honeydew (an aphid waste product), which the ants collect for their own use, and the result can often be a dripping of excess sap onto the lower branches and leaves, and anything else below. Cars left under the trees can quickly become coated with a film of the syrup ("honeydew") thus dropped from higher up. The ant/aphid "farming" process does not appear to cause any serious damage to the trees.
Limes are widely used as ornamental trees when a mass of foliage or a deep shade is desired. It produces fragrant and nectar-producing flowers and is an important honey plant for beekeepers, giving rise to a pale but richly flavoured monofloral honey. In European and North American herbal medicine, the flowers are also used for herbal teas and tinctures. The flowers are used for herbal tea in the winter in the Balkans. In China, dried Tilia flowers are also used to make tea.
American basswood · Amur Linden · Ching's Lime · Small-leaved Lime · Crimean Lime · Japanese lime · Kyushu Lime · Manchurian Lime · Mongolian Lime · Oliver's Lime · Large-leaved Lime · Silver Lime
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Tilia by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
