Tilia tomentosa Seeds | Silver Linden

Silver linden leaves flickering pale beneath and scented cream flowers in late June — Silver Linden (*Tilia tomentosa*): Malvaceae, woods of the Balkans and western Asia.

LATIN NAME: Tilia tomentosa

COMMON NAME: Silver Linden

Plant Profile

Silver linden is a large deciduous tree from the Balkans and western Asia, planted across Europe as a street and park tree. It grows twenty to thirty metres tall, with a straight trunk, a broad, rounded crown and leaves that are green above and covered in dense white felt beneath, so that the whole crown flickers silver in any breeze. The flowers open in late June, later than the other lindens, in drooping clusters attached to a pale, leaf-like bract, and they fill the air with a heavy, sweet scent for a fortnight. Small, round, woody fruits follow. The tree tolerates heat, drought, pollution and hard pruning better than its relatives, which is why it is the linden most often planted in cities.

Science & Biotechnology

Tilia tomentosa has an unusual and well-documented problem: its nectar is toxic to bumblebees. The sugar solution contains mannose and other compounds that the bees cannot metabolise, and dead bumblebees under flowering trees in late summer have been recorded across Europe for over a century. Honeybees are unaffected, and honey from silver linden is prized, so the tree sits in an odd position in pollinator planting schemes. The white felt on the leaf underside is made of stellate hairs, a adaptation that reflects light and reduces water loss, and it is thick enough to be scraped off with a fingernail. The species is also one of the most drought-tolerant lindens, with a deep root system and stomata that close early in dry air, traits that have made it a subject in urban forestry research.

Uses & Benefits

The flowers are gathered for linden tea, a mild, sweet infusion taken for colds, coughs and sleeplessness across central Europe, and the honey from them is pale, aromatic and among the most valuable in the market. The wood is soft, light and easy to carve, and it has been the carver’s wood of Europe for centuries: altarpieces, toys, musical instrument parts and pattern-making all use it. In the garden the tree is a fast-growing shade tree for a large lawn, tolerant of poor soil and air pollution. Its dense crown casts deep shade, so grass beneath it thins out. It is also one of the best trees for a windy site, since the leaves are tough and the branches bend rather than break.

Growing from Seed

The seed has a hard coat and a dormant embryo. Soak it for a day, then mix with damp sand and keep it warm for two months before moving it to four degrees for three months. Sow in spring, one centimetre deep, in a loam-based compost, and cover the pot with mesh to keep mice off. Germination is uneven and can continue into a second year. The seedlings grow strongly and can reach half a metre in the first season. Pot on once, then plant out in autumn into deep, moist soil, in sun or half shade. Stake for the first two years and protect the trunk from strimmers. Prune only to remove lower branches.

Our Take

A city tree with silver leaves and scented June flowers, and the one linden that bumblebees should be kept away from.

Tree Seeds