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Tilia platyphyllos
Also called Largeleaf Linden, Big Leaf Linden, Big Leaved Linden, Broadleaf Lime, Large Leaf Lime, Large Leaf Linden, Large Leaved Linden
A large deciduous shade tree with broad, heart-shaped leaves, native to much of continental Europe and widely planted in parks and streets. It is a tree rather than a houseplant, so it needs space and full-size garden conditions.
Tilia platyphyllos, the large-leaved lime, broad-leaved lime, or large-leaved linden, is a species of flowering plant in the family Malvaceae (Tiliaceae). It is a deciduous tree, native to much of continental Europe including southwestern Great Britain, typically growing on limestone-derived soils. It is not native in Scotland or Ireland, but is naturalised there. The name "lime", possibly a corruption of "line" originally from "lind", has been in use for centuries and also attaches to other species of Tilia. It is not, however, closely related to the lime fruit tree, a species of citrus. The specific epithet platyphyllos (Greek: πλατύφυλλος) means "with broad leaves" in Greek.
Tilia platyphyllos is widely planted throughout the temperate world as an ornamental tree in parks and city streets. Numerous cultivars are available, including 'Aurea', (golden leafed), 'Fastigiata', 'Laciniata' (seemingly torn leaves), 'Örebro' (columnar), 'Princes Street' (narrow crown), 'Rubra' (red twigged), 'Tortuosa' (twisted branches), and 'Tiltstone Filigree' (upswept branches). The cultivar 'Rubra' has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.
Tilia wood is used for carving, and almost all parts of the tree can be used for fodder, ropes or firewood. Bast and honey, which were historically the main products of Tilia, may have been an important factor in the spread of the species and its status as a typical agroforestry tree in the Middle Ages. Tilia spp. are also important for amenity use, shelterbelts and game plantings in the open landscape, in urban areas and recreational forestry. The plant also contains tannins that can act as an astringent. The wood is burned to charcoal and ingested for intestinal disorders and used topically for edema or infection, such as cellulitis or of the lower leg.
American basswood · Amur Linden · Ching's Lime · Small-leaved Lime · Crimean Lime · Japanese lime · Kyushu Lime · Manchurian Lime · Mongolian Lime · Oliver's Lime · Silver Lime · Lime
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Tilia platyphyllos 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.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
