110 THE LIME-TEEE FAMILY. 



XIII.— THE LIME-TREE FAMILY. Tilidcea. 



Handsome trees, of northern latitudes, with simple, roundish, 

 serrated, pointed, alternate, and petioled leaves, the blade often larger 

 upon one side of the midrib than upon the other. (Fig. 97.) Flowers 

 small, buflF-coloured or yellowish, borne in little clusters upon the 

 front of a winged stalk. (Fig. 96.) Sepals and petals each five ; 

 stamens about twenty ; ovary single. Fi-uit a small, dry, brownish 

 nut, the size of a pea. There are many species exceptional to the 

 above description, some even herbaceous, but chiefly tropical, and 

 none of them in common cultivation. In England indeed we scarcely 

 know the family excejit through the medium of the true limes, and 

 these may be distinguished from all our other forest trees by the little 

 tufts of hair in the angles of the principal veins, upon the under side 

 of the leaf. Lime-trees are remarkable for the toughness of their 

 inner bark, which is extensively used as string by gardeners, under 

 the name of " bass," and in Russia, for making mats. 



Fig. 96. rig. 97. 



Flower of Lime-tree. Leaf of Lime-tree (half-size). 



Three species occur apparently wild in England, but only one of 

 them, the Tilia parvifolia, or small-leaved lime, has genuine claims to 

 be considered an " anchent Briton." The others alone are found near 

 Manchester. 



Leaves smootli on both sides; flowers tliree to six in a| Common 



cluster ) l^IME-TREE 



Leaves smooth upon the upper surface, downy upon the under; 

 young shoots hauy; flowers one to three in a cluster; fruit 

 prominently ribbed 



Bko.\u-leaved 



LlME-TUEE. 



