Common Lime (Tilia x europaea)

At a glance

Lifecycle: Perennial (hardy)
Exposure: Full sun
Frost limit: −40 °C

Cultivation

Prefers a good moist loamy alkaline to neutral soil but succeeds on slightly acid soils. A very valuable bee plant. Although a hybrid species, it does produce fertile seed in Britain. Lime trees tend to hybridise freely if other members of the genus are growing nearby. If growing plants from seed it is important to ensure the seed came from a wild source or from an isolated clump of the single species[K]. Easily transplanted, even when quite large, trees up to 60 years old have been moved successfully. Can be coppiced, the tree produces suckers very freely. Grows best in a woodland situation, young plants tolerate a reasonable level of side shade. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.

Propagation

Seed - much of the seed produced in Britain is not viable, cut a few seedcases open to see if there is a seed inside. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Layering in spring just before the leaves unfurl. Takes 1 - 3 years. Suckers, when formed, can be removed with as much root as possible during the dormant season and replanted immediately.

Edible uses

Young leaves - raw. Excellent in salads, they are mild and mucilaginous. A refreshing tea is made from the dried flowers. Some caution is advised, see notes above on toxicity. Flowers - used as a vegetable. A very acceptable chocolate substitute can be made from a paste of the ground-up flowers and immature fruit. Trials on marketing the product failed because the paste is very apt to decompose. Sap - used as a drink or concentrated to make a syrup and used as a sweetener. An edible manna is obtained from the tree. No further details, does this report refer to the sap?

Medicinal uses

Lime flowers are a popular domestic remedy for a number of ailments, especially in the treatment of colds and other ailments where sweating is desirable. A charcoal made from the wood is used in the treatment of gastric or dyspeptic disturbances and is also made into a powder then applied to burns or sore places.

Material uses

A fibre from the inner bark is used to make mats, shoes, baskets, ropes etc. Wood - soft, white, easily carved. It is very suitable for carving domestic items and small non-durable items.