Tilia platyphyllos: Uses (Ethnobotany)
The tree is used as ornamental, timber, and wood-carving. The wood is favored for making musical instruments, clogs, and cuckoo clocks. The honey of the flowers has been used for making tea.
Plant Profile: Tilia platyphyllos
Taxonomy: Tilia platyphyllosNames
Bigleaf Linden, Broad-leaved Lime, Largeleaf Linden, Large Leaved Lime, Large Leaved Linden
Phonetic Spelling:TIL-ee-uh plat-TY-fil-los
Genus:Tilia
Species:platyphyllos
Family:Malvaceae
The Bigleaf Linden is a sizable ornamental deciduous tree belonging to the Malvaceae family, recognized for its large leaves and hairy stems. This tree typically reaches heights of 60 to 80 feet and spans 30 to 50 feet in width, exhibiting a dense pyramidal shape. It is also known by several other names, including Large Leaved Linden, Large Leaved Lime, Largeleaf Linden, and Broad-leaved Lime.
Originating from central and southern Europe as well as southwestern Asia, the Bigleaf Linden has a more limited distribution compared to the Small Leaf Linden, thriving in lowland areas and lower hills. Historically, its wood was utilized for crafting bows and shields, while the bark served as material for ropes and clothing. Additionally, the wood is prized for woodcarving, including the creation of musical instruments, clogs, and cuckoo clocks. The flowers produce honey that is often used in tea.
The genus name, Tilia, is derived from Latin, meaning Linden or Lime Tree, and traces its roots to the Greek words ptelea, meaning "Elm tree," and tillai, meaning "Black Poplar." This nomenclature suggests a meaning of "broad" or "broadleaved." The species name, platyphyllos, combines two Greek terms: "playts," meaning "broad," and "phyllon," meaning "leaf." The Bigleaf Linden is one of the progenitors of the hybrid Tilia x europea, commonly used as a street tree.
This tree thrives in full sun to partial shade and prefers alkaline, loamy, well-drained soils. It exhibits good tolerance to drought and salt spray and can withstand heavy pruning, making it suitable for hedging.
Information on propagating this species is quite limited, though it is reported that young shoots can be transplanted, while seed propagation may pose challenges.
The leaves of the Bigleaf Linden are heart-shaped, green, hairy, serrated, and can grow up to 5 inches long. The undersides are a lighter shade of green, featuring tufts of white hair along the veins. In autumn, the foliage turns yellow. The tree produces fragrant pale yellow flowers that cluster in cymes approximately 3 to 4 inches long, and its fruit is a gray nutlet. The stems are typically reddish-brown and hairy.
The nectar from its attractive flowers draws in a variety of pollinators, including butterflies, bees, wasps, moths, and flies.
Commonly found in parks and gardens, the Bigleaf Linden is valued for its shade and is often planted as a street tree. While there are numerous cultivated varieties, few are commercially available.
**Quick Identification Tips:**
**Pests, Diseases, and Other Concerns:**
The Bigleaf Linden generally faces no significant pest or disease threats. However, it may encounter issues with borers, scale, leaf miners, lace bugs, caterpillars, aphids, and Japanese beetles. In extremely hot and dry conditions, spider mites may appear. Potential diseases include powdery mildew, leaf spots, sooty mold, and cankers, with verticillium wilt being rare but potentially lethal.
Tilia platyphyllos Feature Summary
Tilia platyphyllos Image Gallery
Tags
#showy flowers
#deciduous
#large shade tree
#shade tree
#fragrant flowers
#yellow flowers
#salt spray tolerant
#hairy leaves
#hairy stems
#urban conditions tolerant
#butterfly friendly
#pollinator garden
#bee friendly
#fall leaf color
#nutlet
Similar Plants
Tilia platyphyllos is often confused with:
Tilia platyphyllos Feature Summary
Attributes
The tree is used as ornamental, timber, and wood-carving. The wood is favored for making musical instruments, clogs, and cuckoo clocks. The honey of the flowers has been used for making tea.
Central and southern Europe to southwest Asia
Native: Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Corsica, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Hungry, Iran, Italy, North Caucasus, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Transcaucasus, Turkey, and Yugoslavia; Introduced: Great Britain and Ireland
Nectar-rich flowers attract bees, butterflies, wasps, moths, and flies.
Heavy pruning, drought and salt spray tolerant.
In Europe, the flowers are used to make tea, which reportedly has a calming effect. Young leaves may be eaten as a salad.
Woody
Seed
Stem Cutting
Fragrance
Attracts Pollinators
Shade
Attractive Flowers
Fruit
The fruit is a small gray, oval, ribbed nutlet that ripens in late summer. Each nutlet contains one to three seeds.
Achene
Gray/Silver
Summer
< 1 inch
< 1 inch
Flowers
The flowers are creamy-yellow or pale yellow that bloom in June. The flowers form drooping cymes, and each cyme measures 3-4 inches long. The flowers have five sepals and five petals. There are numerous stamens, but only a single hairless style. The flowers are rich in nectar, fragrant, and showy.
White
Gold/Yellow
Fragrant
Showy
Edible
Summer
4-5 petals/rays
Colored Sepals
< 1 inch
Leaves
The leaves are medium to dark green on the upper surface. The undersides are light green and pubescent. Each leaf is about five inches long, alternate, and simple in shape. The base of the leaf is cordate with has pointed tips. The fall color is pale green to pale yellow.
Deciduous
Green
Gold/Yellow
Simple
Alternate
Ovate
Cordate
Serrate
3-6 inches
Edible
3-6 inches
Bark
The bark is gray and smooth. As the tree ages, the bark becomes fissured.
Light Gray
Smooth
Fissured
Stem
The branches are reddish-brown and usually hairy. The buds are reddish-brown, pointed, and protrude.
Brown/Copper
Red/Burgundy
Hairy (pubescent)
Whole Plant Traits
Tree
Deciduous
Erect
Pyramidal
Dense
Low
Medium
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Good Drainage
Moist
more than 60 feet
4a
4b
5b
5a
6a
6b
7a
7b
3a
3b
Loam (Silt)
Landscape
Drought Tolerant Garden
Butterfly Garden
Pollinator Garden
Shade Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Drought
Urban Conditions
Butterflies
Pollinators
Bees
Tilia platyphyllos Image Gallery
Tilia platyphyllos Attributes
Tilia platyphyllos: Country Or Region Of Origin
Central and southern Europe to southwest Asia
Tilia platyphyllos: Distribution
Native: Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Corsica, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Hungry, Iran, Italy, North Caucasus, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Transcaucasus, Turkey, and Yugoslavia; Introduced: Great Britain and Ireland
Tilia platyphyllos: Wildlife Value
Nectar-rich flowers attract bees, butterflies, wasps, moths, and flies.
Tilia platyphyllos: Particularly Resistant To (Insects/Diseases/Other Problems)
Heavy pruning, drought and salt spray tolerant.
Tilia platyphyllos: Edibility
In Europe, the flowers are used to make tea, which reportedly has a calming effect. Young leaves may be eaten as a salad.
Tilia platyphyllos: Life Cycle
Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody
Tilia platyphyllos: Recommended Propagation Strategy
Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting
Tilia platyphyllos: Play Value
Attractive Flowers
Attracts Pollinators
Buffer
Colorful
Defines Paths
Easy to Grow
Edible fruit
Fragrance
Pieces Used in Games
Screening
Shade
Sound
Textural
Wildlife Cover/Habitat
Wildlife Food Source
Wildlife Larval Host
Wildlife Nesting
Wind Break
Wind Shimmer
Tilia platyphyllos Fruit
Tilia platyphyllos: Fruit Description
The fruit is a small gray, oval, ribbed nutlet that ripens in late summer. Each nutlet contains one to three seeds.
Tilia platyphyllos: Fruit Type
Achene
Aggregate
Berry
Capsule
Caryopsis
Drupe
Follicle
Legume
Nut
Pome
Samara
Schizocarp
Siliqua
Tilia platyphyllos: Fruit Color
Gray/Silver
Tilia platyphyllos: Display/Harvest Time
Fall
Spring
Summer
Winter
Tilia platyphyllos: Fruit Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches
Tilia platyphyllos: Fruit Width
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
> 3 inches
Tilia platyphyllos Flowers
Tilia platyphyllos: Flower Description
The flowers are creamy-yellow or pale yellow that bloom in June. The flowers form drooping cymes, and each cyme measures 3-4 inches long. The flowers have five sepals and five petals. There are numerous stamens, but only a single hairless style. The flowers are rich in nectar, fragrant, and showy.
Tilia platyphyllos: Flower Color
Gold/Yellow
White
Tilia platyphyllos: Flower Inflorescence
Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel
Tilia platyphyllos: Flower Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy
Tilia platyphyllos: Flower Bloom Time
Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall
Tilia platyphyllos: Flower Petals
2-3 rays/petals
4-5 petals/rays
6 petals/rays
7 - 20 petals/rays
asymmetrical petals
Bracts
Colored Sepals
fused petals
more than 20 petals/rays
Tepals
Tilia platyphyllos: Flower Size
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches
Tilia platyphyllos Leaves
Tilia platyphyllos: Leaf Description
The leaves are medium to dark green on the upper surface. The undersides are light green and pubescent. Each leaf is about five inches long, alternate, and simple in shape. The base of the leaf is cordate with has pointed tips. The fall color is pale green to pale yellow.
Tilia platyphyllos: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Tilia platyphyllos: Leaf Color
Green
Tilia platyphyllos: Deciduous Leaf Fall Color
Gold/Yellow
Tilia platyphyllos: Leaf Type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple
Tilia platyphyllos: Leaf Arrangement
Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled
Tilia platyphyllos: Leaf Shape
Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate
Tilia platyphyllos: Leaf Margin
Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate
Tilia platyphyllos: Hairs Present
No
Yes
Tilia platyphyllos: Leaf Length
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Tilia platyphyllos: Leaf Value To Gardener
Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long-lasting
Showy
Tilia platyphyllos: Leaf Width
< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches
Tilia platyphyllos Bark
Tilia platyphyllos: Bark Description
The bark is gray and smooth. As the tree ages, the bark becomes fissured.
Tilia platyphyllos: Bark Color
Light Gray
Tilia platyphyllos: Surface/Attachment
Bumpy
Exfoliating
Fissured
Furrowed
Lenticels
Papery
Patchy
Peeling
Ridges
Scaly
Shaggy
Shiny
Shredding
Smooth
Spongy
Tilia platyphyllos Stem
Tilia platyphyllos: Stem Description
The branches are reddish-brown and usually hairy. The buds are reddish-brown, pointed, and protrude.
Tilia platyphyllos: Stem Color
Brown/Copper
Red/Burgundy
Tilia platyphyllos: Stem Is Aromatic
No
Yes
Tilia platyphyllos: Stem Surface
Corky Ridges
Covered with a powdery bloom (glaucous)
Dull
Hairy (pubescent)
Polished
Smooth (glabrous)
Tilia platyphyllos Whole Plant Traits
Tilia platyphyllos: Plant Type
Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower
Tilia platyphyllos: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen
Tilia platyphyllos: Habit/Form
Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping
Tilia platyphyllos: Maintenance
Low
Medium
High
Tilia platyphyllos: Texture
Fine
Medium
Coarse
Tilia platyphyllos Cultural Conditions
Tilia platyphyllos: Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Tilia platyphyllos: Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Tilia platyphyllos: Soil Drainage
Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry
Tilia platyphyllos: Available Space To Plant
12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet
Tilia platyphyllos: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone
3a
3b
4a
4b
5a
5b
6a
6b
7a
7b
Tilia platyphyllos: Soil Texture
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky
Tilia platyphyllos Landscape
Tilia platyphyllos: Landscape Theme
Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden
Tilia platyphyllos: Design Feature
Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree
Tilia platyphyllos: Resistance To Challenges
Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind
Tilia platyphyllos: Landscape Location
Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland
Tilia platyphyllos: Attracts
Bats
Bees
Butterflies
Frogs
Hummingbirds
Moths
Pollinators
Predatory Insects
Reptiles
Small Mammals
Songbirds
Specialized Bees
