Tilia × europaea

Tilia × europaea (Common Lime; syn. Tilia × vulgaris Hayne) is a naturally-occurring hybrid between Tilia cordata (the Small-leaved lime) and Tilia platyphyllos (the Large-leaved lime). It occurs in the wild at scattered localities wherever the two parent species are both native.^[1][2]

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It is a large deciduous tree up to 20–46 m tall with a trunk up to 2 m diameter. 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 flowers are produced in clusters of four to ten in early summer with a leafy yellow-green subtending bract; they are fragrant, and pollinated by bees. The fruit is a dry nut-like drupe 8 mm diameter, downy and faintly ribbed; .^[1]

It is very widely cultivated, being readily and cheaply propagated by layering; as a result, it is often the commonest Tilia species in urban areas and in avenues. It is not however the best species of this purpose, as it produces abundant stem sprouts, and also carries heavy aphid populations resulting in honeydew deposits on everything underneath the trees.^[1]

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