LIME 



2 5 



woolly tufts, smooth above. The young leaves have stellate hairs. 

 The stipules are large, crimson or ruby. 



On the under surface, where the nerves are spreading, are triangular 

 areas, enclosed by the walls of the nerves and a fringe of long hairs. 

 Lindstrom regards these as domatia or abodes of mites, which lay 

 their eggs in the fruit in special cavities. The mites remain in the 

 domatia by day, coming out at night, and are thought to live on the 

 spores of fungi which may be found on the leaves. Where the mites 



LIME (Tilia vulgaris, L.) FROM BELOW 



are abundant at any rate the leaves are healthy. These domatia are 

 found also in the Oak, Elm, Alder, Holly. The mites do not leave the 

 domatia in the day, but at night travel over the leaves. 



The flowers are sweet-scented, pale whitish-green, in a naked 

 cyme, which has a lance-shaped leaflike bract at the base of the droop- 

 ing flower-stalk, which bears many flowers. There are 5 deciduous 

 sepals, 5 petals. The stamens are numerous, free or united. The 

 ovary is round, 5-celled, the cells 2-seeded. The fruit is i -celled, 

 leathery, woody, not ribbed, downy. 



The tree is often 50 ft. high. It flowers in June, July, and August. 

 It is a deciduous tree. 



The flowers of this Lime are exceptionally sweet, and smell like 



