LARGE-LEAVED LIME (TILIA PLATYPHYLLOS)

Large-leaved lime is a native tree species of the UK and is widely planted across parks and green spaces. It is a deciduous tree and can reach heights of up to 40m making it one of the tallest broadleaf trees in the UK. Many people ask why they are called Lime trees as they are not related to the Citrus Lime trees or really resemble Lime trees. There are a few suggestions but the most likelly is a simple corruption of the old English 'Lind'. Outside of the UK they are usually called Large-leaved Linden or simply Linden trees. Other common names are Broad-leaved lime, Bigleaf linden and Broadleaf linden. During the 18th century many Lime trees were imported from the Netherlands into the UK which likely lead to hybrids and new cultivars. Of the various Lime tree species in the UK it is considered the most rare - so if you see one you're quite lucky.

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As a tree it grows vigorously and can happily live for 500 years. It is one of the few trees that responds well to pollarding and other heavy tree methods of reducing the size of the tree. Heavily pollarded trees tend send out hundreds of recovery suckers so the trees like quite bushy in parts. It has a deep rooting system which extends further than it's crown which makes it a poor choice as a street tree where there are various underground services, drains and so on. This is why most lime trees in urban areas are heavily pollarded to try and manage them as small trees. Ideally other smaller sized types of Lime tree such as the Small-leaved lime or Silver-leaved lime tree are better suited as street trees. Unlike  the Common lime tree which is prone to aphid attack the Large-leaved lime does not really suffer from Aphid infestation. This is good news if your car is parked underneath a Large-leaved lime tree as it won't be covered in the sticky mess called honeydew - which is what the aphids excrete.

On mature trees the bark is pale grey-brown and irregularly ridged. On mature trees the bark is slightly furrowed

The buds are a deep red colour and have 2 / 3 scales. They look a bit like boxing gloves

The bark of mature Large-leaved lime trees is a pale grey-brown colour and has irregularly ridges. Typically the bole of Large-leaved Lime is quite clean and tidy compared to the Common Lime and the Small-leaved Lime. These two tree species tend to throw up lots of suckers at the base of the bole which helps with identification. This is more a 'rule of the thumb' as I have seen several Large-leaved lime trees with base suckers - but typically only a few. If you see a Lime tree with a very dense amount of suckers / foilage at the base of the bole it's likely to be a Common Lime tree. One thing to be careful of is that the leaves on the suckers at the base are very different to the rest of the tree and can easily lead to a mis-identification. Try and use leaves that from the general foilage / crown of the tree as this will help with a more accurate identification. The twigs are slighlty zig zag apperance and the buds resemeble small red boxing gloves. The colour of the buds is typically a deep red but this only applies to Spring, Autumn and Winter. In the Summer the buds are green.

Large-leaved lime is a deciduous tree and can reach heights of up to 40m. The crown is broad and dome shaped

The flowers are white-yellow with five petals and hang in clusters of 4 - 10 typically. Flowering is usually June to July

The leaves are heart shaped and around 6 - 10cm in length. The surface of the leaves is slightly rough to the touch but the underneath is very hairy. If you look at the underside of the leaves they are covered in fine white hairs and  there are small clusters of these white hairs in the leaf veins. On very young leaves in April time the fine white hairs haven't really developed yet so bare that in mind when trying to identify. The leaves of the Common-leaved lime can sometimes be larger than that of the Large-leaved lime tree so also bare that in mind. The reason for this is because the Common Lime is a hybrid tree and quite often hybrids will be more vigorous in growth. Don't rely on the size of the leaves for identification for this reason. From May onwards the undersides are hairy and are quite pleasent to the touch. The buds are red all year around except in the summer when they are green. During the winter when twig and bud identification is frequent the Large-leaved lime buds are often known as little red boxing gloves. The branches tend to sweep outwards and curve a little. Due to their growth habit they make for a fantastic shade tree when they get to a good size.

The leaves are heart shaped and around 6 - 10cm in length. The undersides are hairy as well as the stalks

The fruit is a small and round-oval in shape with a pointed tip. They are deeply ribbed and hairy

Flowering for the Large-leaved Lime is normally in June and is the first of the typical Lime tree species to flower in the UK. The flowers are quite small and hang in clusters of 3 to 5 and are accompanied by a leafy yellow-green subtending bract. The flowers have white petals with yellow male parts (anthers) and the female parts  (stigma and ovary) are white. They are pollinated mainly by bees and on a sunny day the noise from the hundreds of busy bees is fantastic. It is also known as the Bee tree as they adore the sweet nectar. For this reason Bee keepers often keep or have Lime trees nearby to assist with making even sweeter honey. On a hot summers day with a gentle breeze the sweet smell of the flowers can be smelled from a fair distance. The flowers mature into small round / oval shaped drupe with a pointed tip. They start off a dull green and mature into a light brown colour and are dispersed by the wind. The fruit of the tree is referred to as nutlets and the structure that holds the flowers / fruit is called a cyme. The nutlets of the Large-leaved lime are hairy and are very distinct and deeply ribbed which also helps with identification.

OTHER USEFUL LINKS

• First Nature
• RHS​
• Wikipedia

QUICK FACTS

• ​Large-leaved lime is a large deciduous tree and can grow to heights of up 40m
• ​ It is one the tallest broad-leaved tree in the UK
• Other common names are Broad-leaved lime, Bigleaf linden and Broadleaf linden
• ​Despite the name containing the word lime it has nothing to do with the citrust fruit lime
• ​The old english name for these trees were called Lind
• ​Outside of the UK they are often referred to as Linden trees​
• It can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure
• During the 18th century many Lime trees were imported from the Netherlands to grace the gardens of stately homes
• As a tree it grows vigorously and can happily live for 500 years
•  It is one of the few trees that responds well to pollarding and other heavy tree methods of reducing the size of the tree
• It has a deep rooting system which extends further than it's crown which makes it a poor choice as a street tree
• Unlike the Common lime which is prone to aphid attack the Large-leaved lime is not
• ​ Aphid's in large numbers excrete a sticky substance called honeydew
• ​The bark of mature Common lime trees is a pale grey-brown colour and has irregularly ridges
• The stringy inner bark is called bass or bast which has been used to make mats, ropes, and baskets
• It is often used for carvings and the sounding boards for pianos, and for charcoal used by artists
• The wood is white, smooth and close-grained
• It is a light wood and doesn't become worm-eaten
• Lime has been coppiced and used as fuel, hop-poles, bean-sticks and bowls
• ​Typically Large-leaved trees have no suckers at the base but this is not a reliable method of identiciation
• ​​ The leaves of the suckers are very different than that of the leaves further up the tree which can lead to further mis-identification
• The buds are alternately arranged on the twigs
• The twigs are slighlty zig zag apperance and the buds resemeble small red boxing gloves
• ​The colour of the buds is typically a deep red but this only applies to Spring, Autumn and Winter. In the Summer the buds are green
• ​​Around June the tree is in flower and really stands out
• The sweet nectar from the thousands of flowers can be smelt from a fair distance which is why Lime trees are also known as the 'Bee Tree' as they adore the flowers
• The flowers are insect pollinated - mainly by bees
• ​The flowers are quite small and hang in clusters of 3 to 5 and are accompanied by a leafy yellow-green subtending bract
• ​The flowers have white petals with yellow male parts (anthers) and the female parts  (stigma and ovary) are white
• ​​The flowers mature into small round / oval shaped drupe with a pointed tip
• They start off a dull green and mature into a light brown colour and are dispersed by the wind
• ​The fruit of the tree is referred to as nutlets and the structure that holds the flowers / fruit is called a cyme
• ​The nutlets of the Large-leaved lime are hairy and are very distinct and deeply ribbed
• The leaves are heart shaped and around 6 - 10cm in length
• ​The surface of the leaves is slightly rough to the touch but the underneath is very hairy
• The leaves have  been used as fodder for livestock and many trees on estates show a distinct grazing line
• Lime nail gall (Eriophyes tiliae) is a small mite that causes the upright red bugle like structures on the surface of the leaves
• When trying to ID a Lime tree never rely on the base suckers / leaves. 
• The leaves are finely serrated edges compared to other types of Lime tree
• The bracts of LargeLime always droop down unlike that of the Small-leaved lime tree which stick upwards and outwards
• It been used as a home remedy for colds, flu, coughs, epilepsy and indigestion
• The flowers have been used to make a herbal tea which was popular in World War 2
• Dried Lime leaves have been ground into flour because of its exceptional nutritional properties, and contain protein
• During the French Revolution, more than 60,000 Lime trees were planted in all the districts of France
• In the Middle Ages Lime trees were planted near hospitals because they made the air healthier and calmer
• The Celts and the Germans claimed that truth emerged under the shade of a Lime tree
• In Eastern countries it sometimes called the tree of justice
• In France and Switzerland, limes represent liberty, and the trees were planted to celebrate different battles
  
• Lime leaves are the food source of caterpillars of the lime hawk, vapourer, peppered, triangle and scarce hook-tip moth

PLEASE LEAF ME ANY FEEDBACK / COMMENTS

If there is anything out of place or wrong please contact me. Equally if there is anything you wish to add please let me know. The more information we have about this tree the better. Many thanks!