Greenspire

Class

Dicotyledons

Division

Angiospermae

Family

Malvaceae

Order

Malvales

Genus

Tilia

Species

cordate

Description

Large deciduous tree with broad foliage and erect habitus. Appreciated for its ornamental value conferred by its elegant and fragrant blossom, which attracts useful insects for pollination and the preservation of biodiversity, as well as by its green foliage that gradually turns golden in autumn foliage. The wild linden tree is also important for the environmental benefits it can bring to urban and suburban locations, as it can provide shade during the warmer seasons and absorb air pollutants, thus improving air quality. Highly rustic, it adapts to different soil conditions and tolerates summer heat and winter cold.

Variety description

A native and endemic plant in almost all European regions, widely used for a variety of landscape and ornamental purposes. Large tree with a narrower crown than the normal t. cordata, compact conical shape and regular habit. Dense branching, smaller, deep green leaves that turn yellow in autumn. Good and not excessive flowering in June - July, fragrant and melliferous. Excellent adaptability to various types of soils and growing environments, including urban and seaside climates. Requires a sunny exposure, but tolerates partly shady areas. It develops a medium deep root in the soil, with widespread secondary roots. Grows well in all soil types, but prefers well-drained clay and sandy soils. Multifunctional tree, suitable for park areas, urban and rural avenues, gardens, industrial and residential green areas. It has excellent drought resistance and adaptability to coastal areas. Resistant to pathogens and tolerates pruning, which must be oriented towards maintaining the shape while respecting the architecture of the foliage. Includes many varietal selections, differing in habit and colouration, but all suitable for urban and landscape greenery. Species that does not emit suckers at the base of the stem.

Curiosities and special features

The generic term Tilia derives from ptilon, i.e. wing, in reference to the bract bearing the stalked fruits by means of which wind-facilitated dissemination takes place (anemocoria), while the specific epithet cordata is related to the shape of the leaves with their heart-shaped lamina.

The crossbreed T. cordata x T. platyphyllos gives rise to the hybrid Tiliax europea L., which has intermediate characteristics between the two wild species.

Lime inflorescences, containing flavonoids, mucilage, essential oils and tannins, are used in phytotherapy and herbalism for their diaphoretic, hypotensive and sedative properties; the sapwood, found in the bark, instead, aids digestive processes. The intake of these components is always subject to careful evaluation depending on the specific individual state.

Linden extract is also valued in cosmetics as an anti-inflammatory, emollient and soothing agent.

Origin and distribution

Indigenous species, native to the European range. It was used, for the scent of its flowers, in the public and private green areas of Roman civilisation as well as in the royal gardens of France and England in the 17th century and then became widely used along city tree-lined avenues in the 19th century.

Leaf

Leafs have a characteristic heart-shaped, toothed lamina from which the specific epithet cordata derives; the underside is light green at first, later becoming glabrous and bearing tufts of reddish-brown hairs at the axil of the veins.

Flowering period

It blossoms from early spring to late spring for a duration of 15 to 20 days, displaying inflorescences supported by a long bract and bearing several whitish-yellow flowers, which are fragrant and well liked by pollinating insects such as bees.

Leaf colour

Unicolour hue that changes during the autumn period to golden yellow with brown and greenish hues.

Plant height

The height of the plant varies from 10 to 30 m, making it a first-class tree.

Lifespan

Deciduous polyannual tree.

Where to plant

With its wide versatility of use, its developed habitus and the size attained make it suitable for ornamental and landscaping purposes in large flower beds and roadside roundabouts, open field

Stem

The stem is woody with smooth grey bark in young specimens and later longitudinally furrowed and darker; the variety has no thorns.

Flower

The flower has a simple, small form with a crown-like corolla and single-coloured petals. It flowers from early spring to late spring, with a flowering period of between 15 and 20 days. It has sweet and honey notes and is fragrant with an intense aroma. It is attractive to bees and bumblebees.

Growth

Variety with medium to vigorous growth.

Plant habit

Habitus Erect with rounded, regular foliage.

Branching

Dense and abundant branching.

PH

Wild lime prefers soils with a slightly acidic to neutral pH ranging from 6.0 to 7.0.

Soil preparation

Before transplanting at the end of autumn, choose the most suitable place, in relation to the plant's needs, and use a spade to make the planting hole at least one third larger than the volume of roots or root ball, removing any weeds and bulky pebbles. Add organic substance and apply specific organic or chemical granular fertiliser for a background fertilisation to ensure the nutrients the plant needs in the early post-transplant phases.

Sun exposure

A mesophilous species, when transplanting locate sites exposed to half shade, full sun to achieve proper vegetative development thereafter.

Ideal climate and temperature

The ideal temperature is between 15 and 30 °C. The biological temperature is between -10 and 40 °C. The wild lime tree has excellent resistance to drought as well as to winter cold.

Use

The aesthetic importance is expressed by the elegance of the plant architecture as well as the foliage effect during the autumn period, making the wild lime tree appreciated by landscapers and green enthusiasts in different areas such as

Outdoor ornamental Outdoor landscape design Landscaping

Hardiness

A tree with high hardiness, it has excellent adaptability to different soil conditions and growing environments as well as a high capacity to absorb atmospheric pollutants, making it suitable for use in urban areas.

Soil

The wild lime tree adapts to different soil conditions as long as they are well drained and have a suitable organic matter content, the latter being important for maintaining the biological, chemical and physical fertility of the soil.

Difficulty

Cultivation of wild linden is easy with an average low level of management effort once the plant is well established in the new planting site.

Growing tips

Here are some specific cultivation aspects for optimal vegetative growth:

Plant that adapts very well to cold winter climates, and also thrives in frozen soil conditions. Correct pruning

Indiscriminate cutting back of stems and branches by means of 'pruning' not only leads to an alteration of the natural habitus of the plant, but also to a lower resistance to biotic and abiotic agents as well as to a greater danger of the entire specimen failing.

Planting

For transplanting, adopt an average density of 200 plants/ha, choosing healthy specimens, free from abiotic and biotic stress conditions. Always identify the planting site in advance in relation to the growth conditions required by the species according to the principle of 'the right plant in the right place'.

It is advisable to prune with a clean cut, using clean, sharp blades, the long, thin filaments of the smallest roots, proceed by positioning the root ball in the previously dug planting hole, placing the plant's collar outside the soil surface. Also keep the root ball firm and compact to prevent the roots from flaking off.

To improve weed control, retain moisture and regulate the soil temperature, a layer of mulch can be spread on the soil near the trunk.

Pruning

Plant that does not need pruning in parks and spacious gardens, but only in cases where the volume of the foliage has to be limited due to interference with houses or road frontage.
Periodic pruning every 4 to 5 years on branches smaller than 7 to 8 cm for roadside rows. Avoid pruning the stem, which leads to drying out of the trunk and branches.

Propagation

Multiplication can be by seed, cuttings or grafting.

Watering

After transplanting, assist the plant so that it can best develop its root system in the new site, keeping the latter at a constant humidity free of water stagnation and dryness. Afterwards, prevent water saturation conditions by watering in quantities with frequencies and doses also commensurate with the climatic conditions in the different seasons. During the summer period water abundantly until the soil is saturated, in temperate conditions without surface stagnation.

Fertilising

Use a ternary fertiliser complete with Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium (NPK) at the tree planting stage or over the root zone (50 g/m2).

Pet safety

Ingestion toxicity for pets not known. Consider the specific case.

Toxicity for humans

Ingestion toxicity to humans not known. Consider individual case.

Tip

Particularly popular species because of all linden trees it is the one that does not emit suckers at the base of the trunk. Despite pruning and training, it does not emit suckers. This species reduces the costs of maintenance and suckering of trees in the garden and on urban avenues.