Tilia mandchurica Seeds | Manchurian Linden

Manchurian linden with large heart-shaped leaves and drooping clusters of pale fragrant flowers — Manchurian Linden (*Tilia mandchurica*): Malvaceae, the large-leaved linden of northeast Asian cool woodlands.

LATIN NAME: Tilia mandchurica

COMMON NAME: Manchurian Linden, Manchurian Lime

Plant Profile

Manchurian linden is the linden of the far northeast, and it is a tree of scale. It grows up to twenty metres, occasionally a little more, with a straight trunk, a broad, rounded crown and bark that is grey and furrowed rather than smooth. The leaves are its signature: eight to twenty centimetres across, round to heart-shaped, coarsely toothed, dark green above and covered beneath with a dense felt of stellate hairs that makes them look white in wind.

In early summer it produces drooping cymes of five to fifteen pale yellow flowers, each with a long, pale bract attached to the stalk, and the scent carries a long way. The flowers are followed by small, woody, rounded fruits. The whole tree buzzes when it is in flower, and the ground beneath it stays sticky with fallen nectar for a fortnight.

Science & Biotechnology

The lindens are notoriously difficult to tell apart, and they hybridise freely where ranges overlap, which is why the genus has a reputation among taxonomists for producing local populations that fit no key. Manchurian linden is distinguished by the density of stellate hairs on the leaf underside, the size of the leaves, and the number of flowers per cyme, but intermediates with Tilia amurensis are common in the Russian Far East and northeast China.

The flowers are pollinated by bees and are unusually rich in nectar for a tree, which is why linden honey is a distinct and prized product. The bract attached to the flower stalk acts as a wing, and the whole cyme spins as it falls, which helps the seed travel away from the parent. The seed itself has a hard coat and a dormant embryo, and germination in nature is spread over two or three years.

Uses & Benefits

Linden flower tea is the classic European calming remedy, taken for colds, coughs and sleeplessness, and Manchurian linden is one of the species whose flowers are used in the same way in its native range. The flowers are gathered in early summer, dried quickly in shade, and infused; the flavour is mild, honeyed and slightly floral. The sap is also sweet and can be reduced, though the yield is small.

The wood is soft, light, even-grained and easy to carve, and it has been used for centuries for turned bowls, kitchen utensils, musical instrument bodies and pattern-making, while the inner bark gives a fibre used for rope, mats and sandals. As a garden tree it is a large, fast-growing shade tree for a park or a big lawn, tolerant of cold and of heavy soil, though it is not a tree for a small plot, and it suckers readily if the roots are disturbed.

Growing from Seed

Seed is hard-coated and dormant. Stratify cold for three to five months, or sow fresh in autumn and leave the pot outdoors for two winters. Sow in a loam-based mix, cover lightly, and keep at about eighteen degrees; germination is uneven and often spread over two seasons, so do not discard the pot after the first spring.

Grow the seedlings on in pots or a nursery bed for two years, then plant out in autumn into deep, fertile soil in sun or light shade. The tree is fast once established and needs space, with a spread of ten metres or more at maturity. Stake for the first three years, and avoid disturbing the root zone afterwards, since lindens sucker from damaged roots.

Our Take

A big, bee-loud shade tree for cold climates, with tea in the flowers and carving wood in the trunk. Set it well back from the house and let the bees do the rest.

Tree Seeds