Tilia × europaea
Encyclopedia
Tilia × europaea L.
, generally known as the Common Lime, is a naturally occurring hybrid between Tilia cordata (small-leaved lime)
and Tilia platyphyllos (large-leaved lime)
. It occurs in the wild in Europe at scattered localities wherever the two parent species are both native.
Tilia × europaea is a large deciduous
tree
up to 15–50 m tall with a trunk up to 2.5 m radius. The leaves
are intermediate between the parents, 6–15 cm long and 6–12 cm broad, thinly hairy below with tufts of denser hairs in the leaf vein axils. The flower
s are produced in clusters of four to ten in early summer with a leafy yellow-green subtending bract; they are fragrant, and pollinated by bee
s. The fruit
is a dry nut-like drupe 8 mm diameter, downy and faintly ribbed; .
This hybrid is very widely cultivated, being readily and inexpensively propagated by layering
; as a result, it is often the commonest Tilia species in urban areas and along avenues
. It is not however the best species of this purpose, as it produces abundant stem sprouts, and also often hosts heavy aphid
populations resulting in honeydew
deposits on everything underneath the trees.
s are caused by strong winds rocking large trees such as limes back and forth, often imperceptibly. This rocking motion of the whole root ball acts like a giant syringe, sucking liquified water up on the 'blow' and pushing it back on the 'lull'.
Such movements eventually create large cavities beneath the tree concerned as the water is effectively liquified soil that may overflow and then drain away, leaving a void beneath the tree. The tree's grip on the soil is weakend and this may eventually lead to the tree falling, however trees are both dynamic and responsive, often growing new or strengthening existing roots to help compensate for this loss of adhesion to the substrate.
Cyclic Oscillant
Carolus Linnaeus
Carl Linnaeus , also known after his ennoblement as , was a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of binomial nomenclature. He is known as the father of modern taxonomy, and is also considered one of the fathers of modern ecology...
, generally known as the Common Lime, is a naturally occurring hybrid between Tilia cordata (small-leaved lime)
Tilia cordata
Tilia cordata is a species of Tilia native to much of Europe and western Asia, north to southern Great Britain , central Scandinavia, east to central Russia, and south to central Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Turkey, and the Caucasus; in the south of its range it is restricted to...
and Tilia platyphyllos (large-leaved lime)
Tilia platyphyllos
Tilia platyphyllos is a deciduous tree native to much of Europe, including locally in southwestern Great Britain, growing on lime-rich soils. The common name Large-leaved Linden is in standard use throughout the English-speaking world except in Britain, where it has largely been replaced by the...
. It occurs in the wild in Europe at scattered localities wherever the two parent species are both native.
Tilia × europaea is a large deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
up to 15–50 m tall with a trunk up to 2.5 m radius. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are intermediate between the parents, 6–15 cm long and 6–12 cm broad, thinly hairy below with tufts of denser hairs in the leaf vein axils. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are produced in clusters of four to ten in early summer with a leafy yellow-green subtending bract; they are fragrant, and pollinated by bee
Bee
Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...
s. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a dry nut-like drupe 8 mm diameter, downy and faintly ribbed; .
This hybrid is very widely cultivated, being readily and inexpensively propagated by layering
Layering
Layering is a means of plant propagation in which a portion of an aerial stem grows roots while still attached to the parent plant and then detaches as an independent plant. Layering has evolved as a common means of vegetative propagation of numerous species in natural environments...
; as a result, it is often the commonest Tilia species in urban areas and along avenues
Avenue (landscape)
__notoc__In landscaping, an avenue or allée is traditionally a straight route with a line of trees or large shrubs running along each, which is used, as its French source venir indicates, to emphasize the "coming to," or arrival at a landscape or architectural feature...
. It is not however the best species of this purpose, as it produces abundant stem sprouts, and also often hosts heavy aphid
Aphid
Aphids, also known as plant lice and in Britain and the Commonwealth as greenflies, blackflies or whiteflies, are small sap sucking insects, and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions...
populations resulting in honeydew
Honeydew (secretion)
Honeydew is a sugar-rich sticky liquid, secreted by aphids and some scale insects as they feed on plant sap. When their mouthpart penetrates the phloem, the sugary, high-pressure liquid is forced out of the gut's terminal opening. Honeydew is particularly common as a secretion in the Hemipteran...
deposits on everything underneath the trees.
Oscillant
OscillantOscillant
Oscillants are a phenomenon involving pools of groundwater at the base of larger trees that rapidly and cyclically fill up and then empty again due to wind induced rocking movements of the tree and its root ball.-Causes:...
s are caused by strong winds rocking large trees such as limes back and forth, often imperceptibly. This rocking motion of the whole root ball acts like a giant syringe, sucking liquified water up on the 'blow' and pushing it back on the 'lull'.
Such movements eventually create large cavities beneath the tree concerned as the water is effectively liquified soil that may overflow and then drain away, leaving a void beneath the tree. The tree's grip on the soil is weakend and this may eventually lead to the tree falling, however trees are both dynamic and responsive, often growing new or strengthening existing roots to help compensate for this loss of adhesion to the substrate.
Cyclic Oscillant