Practical
Plants

Tilia platyphyllos

Large Leaved Lime

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Tilia genus in the family Tiliaceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Tiliaceae
Genus
Tilia
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
moderate
Height
30 m
Spread
20 m
Fertility
Bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

If the flowers used for making tea are too old, they may produce symptoms of narcotic intoxication[18].

Edible uses

Young leaves - raw. A delicious addition to salads and sandwiches, the young leaves are mild and tender with a somewhat mucilaginous texture[K]. A very acceptable chocolate substitute can be made from a paste of the ground-up flowers and immature fruit. Trials on marketing the product failed because the paste is very apt to decompose[12][4]. A popular herb tea is made from the flowers, it has a sweet, fragrant pleasant flavour. Some caution is advised, see notes above on toxicity. Sap - harvested in the spring, it is sweet and can be used as a drink or concentrated into a syrup[18].

Product or use
Chocolate
Product or use
Tea
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Sap

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

Lime flowers are a popular domestic remedy for a number of ailments, especially in the treatment of colds and other ailments where sweating is desirable[25]. A tea made from the fresh or dried flowers is antispasmodic, diaphoretic, expectorant, hypotensive, laxative and sedative[18][25][6][14][15]. Lime flower tea is also used internally in the treatment of indigestion, hypertension, hardening of the arteries, hysteria, nervous vomiting or palpitation[18][15]. The flowers are harvested commercially and often sold in health shops etc[14]. Lime flowers are said to develop narcotic properties as they age and so they should only be harvested when freshly opened[15]. A charcoal made from the wood is used in the treatment of gastric or dyspeptic disturbances and is also made into a powder then applied to burns or sore places[18]. It is also quite an effective vasodilator[21].

Product or use
Antispasmodic
Product or use
Diaphoretic
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Expectorant
Product or use
Hypotensive
Product or use
Laxative
Product or use
Sedative

Material uses

A fibre from the inner bark is used to make mats, shoes, baskets, ropes etc[1][6][7][19][20][2]. It is also suitable for cloth[4]. It is harvested from trunks that are 15 - 30cm in diameter[4]. The fibre can also be used for making paper[11]. The stems are harvested in spring or summer, the leaves are removed and the stems steamed until the fibres can be stripped. The outer bark is removed from the inner bark by peeling or scraping. The fibres are cooked for 2 hours with lye and then beaten in a ball mill. The paper is beige in colour[11]. Wood - soft, white, easily carved. It is very suitable for carving domestic items and small non-durable items[18][6][19][20][4]. A charcoal made from the wood is used for drawing and has medicinal properties[21][19][20][4].

Product or use
Charcoal
Product or use
Fibre
Product or use
Paper
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
Europe, from Britain and Belgium south and east to Spain, Crimea, Caucasus and W. Asia.
Habitat
Woods on good calcareous or base rich soils[8].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - much of the seed produced in Britain is not viable, cut a few seedcases open to see if there is a seed inside[24]. If possible, obtain fresh seed that is ripe but has not as yet developed a hard seed coat and sow it immediately in a cold frame. It may germinate in the following spring though it could take 18 months[24]. Stored seed can be very slow to germinate. It has a hard seed coat, embryo dormancy and a hard coat on the pericarp. All these factors mean that the seed may take up to 8 years to germinate[24]. One way of shortening this time is to stratify the seed for 5 months at high temperatures (10°c at night, up to 30°c by day) and then 5 months cold stratification[24]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Layering in spring just before the leaves unfurl. Takes 1 - 3 years[23]. Suckers, when formed, can be removed with as much root as possible during the dormant season and replanted immediately[13].

Cultivation

Prefers a good moist loamy alkaline to neutral soil but succeeds on slightly acid soils[3][13]. Grows poorly on any very dry or very wet soils[13]. Succeeds in sun or semi-shade[10]. Plants can be transplanted quite easily, even when quite large, trees up to 60 years old have been moved successfully[1][22]. Lime trees are very long-lived[21] and are amenable to coppicing or pollarding. This species does not produce many suckers[26][13]. Grows well in Britain, it is the only species that reliably produces viable seed in areas with cool summers[13]. Lime trees tend to hybridise freely if other members of the genus are growing nearby[15]. If growing plants from seed it is important to ensure the seed came from a wild source or from an isolated clump of the single species[K]. Grows best in a woodland situation, young plants tolerate a reasonable level of side shade[13]. Mature trees cast a dense shade[9]. A very valuable bee plant, producing an abundance of nectar[21][3][5]. A valuable tree for wildlife, there are 31 species of insects associated with this tree[16]. A food plant for the caterpillars of many butterfly and moth species[17]. Trees are usually attacked by aphids which cover the ground and the leaves with a sticky honeydew[10]. There are some named varieties selected for their ornamental value[10]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[13].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Polunin. O. Flowers of Europe - A Field Guide. Oxford University Press 1969-00-00 ISBN 0192176218

    ↩

  3. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  4. Johnson. C. P. The Useful Plants of Great Britain.

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  5. ? The Plantsman. Vol. 5. 1983 - 1984. Royal Horticultural Society 1983-00-00

    ↩

  6. Triska. Dr. Hamlyn Encyclopaedia of Plants. Hamlyn 1975-00-00 ISBN 0-600-33545-3

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-87857-262-7

    ↩

  8. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩

  9. Beckett. G. and K. Planting Native Trees and Shrubs. Jarrold 1979-00-00

    ↩

  10. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩1↩2↩3

  11. Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press 1988-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  12. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  13. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7

  14. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649

    ↩1↩2

  15. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  16. Baines. C. Making a Wildlife Garden.

    ↩

  17. Carter D. Butterflies and Moths in Britain and Europe. Pan 1982-00-00 ISBN 0-330-26642-x

    ↩

  18. Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  19. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  20. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩1↩2↩3

  21. Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984-00-00 ISBN 0-356-10541-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  22. Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00

    ↩

  23. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩

  24. McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-901361-21-6

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  25. Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981-00-00 ISBN 0-600-37216-2

    ↩1↩2

  26. Gordon. A. G. and Rowe. D. C. f. Seed Manual for Ornamental Trees and Shrubs.

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