Tilia cordata seed

LATIN NAME: TILIA CORDATA

COMMON NAME: Small-leaved Lime

The small-leaved lime drones the tall, rounded crown with the dense, heart-shaped leaves and the clusters of the pale, honey-scented flowers that open in the early summer, the whole tree carrying the calm, generous look of the lindens. The bees work the flowers from dawn to dusk, and the sweet scent drifts through the warm air. The tree grows into the large, long-lived tree, and it stands the city air and the pruning well. It likes the sun or the part shade, and the deep, moist, well-drained soil.

Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology

In the mallow family, the lindens have a long, calm record in the street-tree research, and the small-leaved lime appears in the studies of the nectar chemistry and the urban tolerance. The research covers the way the tree stands the city stress, along with the seed biology, while the beekeepers value the blossom and the arborists track the long-lived trees. The growers of the avenues and the parks keep the species in their catalogues.

Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications

In the avenue, the park and the garden, the small-leaved lime shades the summer streets. The heart-shaped leaves and the honey-scented blossom give the calm, generous crown, the flowers make the famous lime blossom tea, and the bees turn them into the fine honey. The soft, pale wood serves the carving, the boxes and the musical instruments. Calm, generous and long-lived.

The small-leaved lime seeds germinate in a rich, sandy soil kept cool and moist. The seedlings rise of their own accord, and some of them need the patience of the second spring. Plant them out into the deep, moist, fertile ground once they are big enough, and give them the sun or the part shade. The young trees grow on steadily, and the honey-scented blossom comes within the few years.

To grow the small-leaved lime from seed, press the seeds lightly into the flats of rich, sandy soil, then keep the flats cool and moist. The seedlings rise once the weather settles, and they grow on steadily. Grow the young trees in the deep, moist, well-drained ground, and the honey-scented blossom will drone through the early summer over the years.

Medicinal use : flowers are a popular domestic remedy for a number of ailments, especially in the treatment of colds and other ailments where sweating is desirable. A tea made from the fresh or dried flowers is antispasmodic, diaphoretic, expectorant, hypertensive, laxative and sedative. Tea is also used internally in the treatment of indigestion, hypertension, hardening of the arteries, hysteria, nervous vomiting or palpitation. The flowers are harvested commercially and often sold in health shops etc. Flowers are said to develop narcotic properties as they age and so they should only be harvested when freshly opened. 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.
Edible parts : Young leaves – raw. They make an excellent salad or sandwich filling, they are mild tasting and somewhat mucilaginous. The leaves can be available from spring until early autumn from the young growths at the base of the tree. 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. A popular herb tea is made from the flowers, it has a sweet, fragrant pleasant flavor. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. Sap – harvested in the spring, it is sweet and can be used as a drink or concentrated into a syrup.
Other uses : A fiber from the inner bark is used to make mats, shoes, baskets, ropes etc. It is also suitable for cloth. It is harvested from trunks that are 15 – 30 cm in diameter. The fiber can also be used for making paper. The stems are harvested in spring or summer, the leaves are removed and the stems steamed until the fibers can be stripped. The outer bark is removed from the inner bark by peeling or scraping. The fibers are cooked for 2 hours with lye and then beaten in a ball mill. The paper is beige in colour. Wood – soft, white, easily carved. It is very suitable for carving domestic items and small non-durable items. A charcoal made from the wood is used for drawing.
It is a beautiful easy to grow shade tree that deserves more use. It gets wonderful green foliage.
They would make excellent additions to your rare plant collection, or just make a unique statement in your yard.