Tilia cordata: Difference between revisions

| status_ref = <ref>{{Cite iucn|title=Small-leaved Lime, ''Tilia cordata''|page=e.T203360A68079373|author=Rivers, M.C., Barstow, M. & Khela, S. 2017|year=2017|access-date=3 March 2022|doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2017-3.RLTS.T203360A68079373.en}}</ref>

'''''Tilia cordata''''', the '''small-leaved lime''' or '''small-leaved linden''', is a species of tree in the family Malvaceae, native to much of Europe. Other common names include '''little-leaf''' or '''littleleaf linden''',<ref>{{PLANTS|id=TICO2|taxon=Tilia cordata|access-date=10 December 2015}}</ref> or traditionally in South East England, '''pry''' or '''pry tree'''.<ref>"pry, n.1." ''OED Online'', Oxford University Press, December 2020, http://oed.com/view/Entry/153661. Accessed 7 January 2021</ref> Its range extends from [[Great Britain|Britain]] through mainland Europe to the [[Caucasus]] and western Asia. In the south of its range it is restricted to high elevations.<ref name=rushforth>Rushforth, K. (1999). ''Trees of Britain and Europe''. Collins {{ISBN|0-00-220013-9}}.</ref><ref name=dvf>Den Virtuella Floran: [http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/tilia/tilia/tilicor.html ''Tilia cordata'' (in Swedish; with maps]</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Rackhan|first=Oliver|author-link  

= Oliver Rackham|title=Trees and Woodland in The British Landscape|publisher=Weidenfeld and Nicolson|year=1976|isbn=978-1-4746-1404-7|location=London|pages=21}}</ref>

''Tilia cordata'' is a [[deciduous]] tree growing to {{convert|20|-|40|m|ft|abbr=on}} tall, diameter 1/3 to 1/2 the height, with a trunk up to 1&nbsp;m diameter. The largest known trunk circumference was a specimen in [[Närke]], Sweden, that measured 8.35 meters diameter at chest height. Lindar in Germany is said to be over 1000 years old.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://linnaeus.nrm.se/flora/di/tilia/tilia/tilicor.html|title = Den virtuella floran – stängd för ombyggnad|website=Linnaeus.nrm.se}}</ref> The bark is smooth and grayish when young, firm with vertical ridges and horizontal fissures when older. The crown is rounded in a formal oval shape to pyramidal. Branching is upright and increases in density with age.<ref name= winter>{{cite book|last=Upham Smith|first=Alica|title=Trees in a winter landscape.|date=1969|publisher=Holt, Rinehart and Winston|location=New York|isbn=978-0030818639|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/treesinwinterlan00smit}}</ref> The [[leaf|leaves]] are alternately arranged, rounded to triangular-ovate, 3&ndash;8&nbsp;cm long and broad, mostly hairless (unlike the related ''[[Tilia platyphyllos]]'') except for small tufts of brown hair in the leaf vein axils – the leaves are distinctively heart-shaped. The [[buds]] are alternate, pointed egg shaped and have red scales. It has no terminal bud.<ref name=winter /> The small yellow-green [[plant sexuality|hermaphrodite]] [[flower]]s are produced in clusters of five to eleven in early summer with a leafy yellow-green subtending [[bract]], have a rich, heavy scent; the trees are much visited by [[bee]]s to the erect flowers which are held above the bract; this flower arrangement is distinctly different from that of the Common Lime ''[[Tilia × europaea]]'' where the flowers are held beneath the bract. The [[fruit]] is a dry nut-like [[drupe]] 6&ndash;7&nbsp;mm long by 4&nbsp;mm broad containing one, or sometimes two, brown seeds (infertile fruits are globose), downy at first becoming smooth at maturity, and (unlike ''T.&nbsp;platyphyllos'' and also ''T.''&nbsp;×&nbsp;''europaea'') not ribbed but very thin and easily cracked open.<ref name=rushforth/><ref name=fnwe>http://ip30.eti.uva.nl/BIS/flora.php?selected=beschrijving&menuentry=soorten&id=2132 {{Dead link|date=August 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In Britain ''Tilia cordata,'' traditionally called pry, is considered an indicator of [[ancient woodland]], and is becoming increasingly rare.<ref>[[Natural England]] internal website</ref> Owing to its rarity, a number of woods have been given [[Site of Special Scientific Interest|SSSI]] status. Cocklode Wood, part of the [[Bardney Limewoods]], is the best surviving spread of [[Middle Ages|medieval]] small leaved limes in England.<ref>Woodland Trust ''The test-tube tree'', Broadleaf Anon, Spring 2014, p. 7</ref> Another site is [[Shrawley#Shrawley Wood|Shrawley Wood]] in [[Worcestershire]].<ref>[http://www.sssi.naturalengland.org.uk/citation/citation_photo/1002918.pdf Natural England Citation dated 12 May 1986], Sssi.naturalengland.org.uk</ref> Small-leaved lime was once regarded as [[Sacred|holy]] and good for [[carving]].<ref>Woodland Trust ''Giant seed hunt to revitalize woods'', Broadleaf Anon, Spring 2014, p. 9</ref>

Trees in northern England were found to have established when the climate was warmer and have adapted to the cooling climate. [[Paleobotany|Paleobotanical]] analysis of tree pollen preserved in peat deposits demonstrates that ''Tilia cordata'' was present as a woodland tree in the southern [[Lake District]] c 3100 B.C.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Pigott|first=C. D.|title=Factors Controlling the Distribution of Tilia cordata at the Northern Limits of Its Geographical Range. II. History in North-West England|journal=New Phytologist|date=January 1980|volume=84|issue=1|pages=145–164|doi=10.1111/j.1469-8137.1980.tb00757.x}}</ref> In spite of the late migration of ''T.&nbsp;cordata'' into the Lake District, pollen diagrams from many sites show rapid expansion so that, within a few centuries, it had become plentiful and even locally dominant in the southern valleys.  Maximum values for ''Tilia'' from all pollen diagrams available for the north of England show a conspicuous concentration of high values in the southern Lake District.  At several sites among the limestone hills on both sides of the estuary of the [[River Kent]], the curves for ''Tilia'', although beginning about 4800 to 4000 B.C. then achieve values of at least 10% within a few centuries. At [[Witherslack]] values of this magnitude persist for a depth of 3 m which represents about 4000 years.  For much of this period ''Ulmus'' is approximately 10%, ''Quercus'' 20%  and the remaining arboreal pollen is largely that of ''Alnus''.  For a shorter period ''Tilia'' exceeds ''Quercus'' and reaches a maximum of 30%.  The (Witherslack) basin is about 200 m in width, so that with distance correction factors applied this indicates that the surrounding woodlands on well-drained soils contained ''Tilia'', ''Quercus'' and ''Ulmus'' in the proportions 4 : 1 : 1. Modern mature woodland trees were estimated to have germinated between 1150 and 1300 [[Anno Domini|AD]], making them around 800 years old. Precise age determination is impossible as [[heartwood]] at the centre disintegrates and therefore rings cannot be counted, and other methods are used.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Pigott|first=C. D.|title=Factors Controlling the Distribution of Tilia cordata Mill at the Northern Limits of Its Geographical Range. IV. Estimated Ages of the Trees|journal=New Phytologist|date=May 1989|volume=112|issue=1|pages=117–121|jstor=2556763|doi=10.1111/j.1469-8137.1989.tb00316.x}}</ref>

''Tilia cordata'' is widely grown as an [[ornamental tree]]. It was much planted to form [[avenue (landscape)|avenue]]s in 17th and early 18th century landscape planning. A famous example is [[Unter den Linden]] in [[Berlin]]. It is also widely cultivated in [[North America]] as a substitute for the native ''[[Tilia americana]]'' (American linden or basswood) which has a larger leaf, coarser in texture; there it has been renamed "Little-leaf Linden". It is popular as both a shade tree with its dense canopy, an ornamental tree with its architectural shape and a street tree. In the US, ''Tilia cordata'' has been planted in Wellesley, MA; Modesto, CA; Chicago, IL; Indianapolis, IN; and Atlanta, GA as street trees.<ref>{{cite book|last=Phillips|first=Leonard E. Jr.|title=Urban Trees: A Guide for Selection, Maintenance, and Master Planning|date=1993|publisher=McGraw-Hill|location=United States of America|page=259|editor=Joel Stein}}</ref> In Europe, there are [[espalier]]ed trees owing to the ability to survive heavy pruning. ''Tilia cordata'' is an easy tree to train for bonsai when the training is not done all at once. Letting the tree recoup in between sessions over a period of several months creates a healthy, good-looking miniature tree.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bonsai Focus|url=http://www.bonsaifocus.com/article_read/414/tilia-cordata.html|access-date=27 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140228052806/http://www.bonsaifocus.com/article_read/414/tilia-cordata.html|archive-date=2014-02-28|url-status=dead}}</ref>  Prior to the advent of firearms, it was also commonly used for making shields (as referenced in ''[[Beowulf]]'').

''Tilia cordata'' survives best in a [[soil pH]] range of 5.0 to 8.0.<ref>{{cite web|title=Soil pH Trees and Shrubs and what they like|url=http://www.towsonuuc.org/resources/Soil+pH+++Trees+and+Shrubs+and+what+they+like.pdf|access-date=22 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307145826/http://www.towsonuuc.org/resources/Soil+pH+++Trees+and+Shrubs+and+what+they+like.pdf|archive-date=2014-03-07|url-status=dead}}</ref> and in USDA Hardiness Zones 3–7.<ref name=Dirr />  The tree prefers moist, well drained soil, but can survive flooding; it is not highly drought tolerant.<ref name= facts>{{cite web|last=Gilman|first=Edward|title=Tilia cordata Littleleaf Linden|url=http://hort.ufl.edu/database/documents/pdf/tree_fact_sheets/tilcora.pdf|access-date=28 February 2014|author2=Watson, Dennis }}</ref> It does not do well in soils with high [[salinity]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Kotuby-Amacher|first=Jan|title=Salinity and Plant Tolerance|url=http://forestry.usu.edu/files/uploads/agso03.pdf|publisher=Electronic Publishing|access-date=28 February 2014|pages=1–8|date=March 2000|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307091100/http://forestry.usu.edu/files/uploads/agso03.pdf|archive-date=7 March 2014|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

[[File:COA LV Valmiera.svg|thumb|upright=0.7|''Tilia cordata'' pictured in the coat of arms of [[Valmiera]], the city of [[Latvia]]]]

|url=http://www.aber.ac.uk/en/media/tree-walk-booklet.pdf

|page=9}}</ref> and one of two national trees in [[Latvia]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.videsgidi.lv/faili/Latvijas_nacionalie_simboli_back.pdf |title=Archived copy |website=www.videsgidi.lv |access-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918204207/http://www.videsgidi.lv/faili/Latvijas_nacionalie_simboli_back.pdf |archive-date=18 September 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref>