Lime tree (linden)
Tilia
Botanical family: Malvaceae (formerly Tiliaceae)
Tilia cordata (small-leaved lime) and Tilia platyphyllos (large-leaved lime) are the two species native to Europe, often planted in rows for their generous shade and their heady scent in flower. The flowers, together with their characteristic bract, are traditionally dried for the evening infusion.
Sun to partial shade
Rich, deep, cool
Regular the first years, then undemanding
Very hardy (withstands -25 °C)
Overwinters in your zone
Role in permaculture
A large shade tree with very fragrant flowering in June-July, the lime is among the nectar trees most visited by bees and bumblebees. The dried flowers are traditionally harvested for an infusion, long reputed for its soothing virtues.
Insects attracted or useful
Documented synergies
Relationships backed by a named source, with their real scope. A synergy without a named reference has no place here, no “it is said that…”.
Its abundant flowering gives lime honey. A nuance to correct: the bumblebee mortality sometimes observed under lime trees (especially the silver lime) is NOT due to a toxic nectar, but very probably to the exhaustion of the resource at the end of flowering, the starving insects fall. A brief, late flowering whose nectar quickly runs short.
scientific study
- · Koch H. & Stevenson P.C. (2017), Biology Letters 13(9):20170484, DOI 10.1098/rsbl.2017.0484
- · Jacquemart A.-L. et al. (2018), Apidologie 49(5):538-550, DOI 10.1007/s13592-018-0581-3
Its leaf litter, rich in calcium, decomposes fast and feeds the soil life, it's an 'improving' litter, the opposite of the acidifying needles of conifers. The lime had the highest foliar calcium content of a trial of fourteen species. Measured in a forest stand, not in the kitchen garden: the dense shade and roots of a mature lime can moreover compete with nearby crops.
scientific study
- · Dauer J.M. et al. (2007), Biogeochemistry 86(2):175-187, DOI 10.1007/s10533-007-9153-8
- · Reich P.B. et al. (2005), Ecology Letters 8(8):811-818, DOI 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00779.x
Seasons & availability
A large tree planted as a young specimen, since the seed has a long dormancy; the tender young leaves are picked in spring and the scented flowers in June and July, and dried they keep for infusions the rest of the year.
Available: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- Plants For A Future, « Tilia cordata » (pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Tilia+cordata)
- Tela Botanica, « Tilia cordata Mill. » (tela-botanica.org/bdtfx-nn-68299-description)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
These uses come under tradition and not a clinically demonstrated efficacy: the infusion does not replace medical advice, and one must consult a health professional if symptoms persist, in pregnant or breastfeeding women, and for young children. Identify the tree well before any picking (the lime is recognisable by its tongue-shaped bract) and harvest far from polluted roadsides.
Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.
Species
Voices of peoples
Paraphrases attributed to their documented sources. Never an invented quote.
Village traditions of Europe, France, Germany (Dorflinde), Slovenia (lipa) · Central and western Europe, Middle Ages to the 20th century
The village lime, planted on the square or in front of the church, was for centuries the heart of the community: justice was dispensed in its shade, people danced under it in summer, the inhabitants gathered there when the bell rang. In Slovenia, the lipa is still the national tree. In France, some so-called Sully limes (planted around 1600) are still alive. Under a lime, it is said, it is easier to be reconciled.
Tradition européenne abondamment documentée. Voir notamment Mircea Eliade, Le Sacré et le Profane (1957) sur l'arbre cosmique au centre du monde ; et les inventaires d'arbres remarquables des Conservatoires régionaux français.
Before you forage
This plant is often gathered from the wild. Only pick what is abundant, never a protected species, and never uproot a whole plant (roots) without the landowner's permission. Rules vary by country and region, check locally.
Key takeaways
- • Prefers sun to partial shade exposure.
- • Ideal soil: rich, deep, cool.