Tilia 1 66 1 



TILIA PLATYPHYLLOS, Large-leaved Lime 



Tilia platyphyllos, Scopoli, Fl. Cam. i. 373 (1772); Sargent, in Garden and Forest, ii. 256, f. 109 



(1889); Schneider, Laubkolzkunde, ii. 376 (1909). 

 Tilia grandifolia, Ehrhart, Beit. v. 158 (1790); Willkomm, Forstliche Flora, 733 (1887); Mathieu, 



Flore Forestiire, 33 (1897). 

 Tilia pauciflora, Hayne, Arzn. iii. 48 (1813). 

 Tilia corallina, Smith, in Rees, Cycl. xxxv. No. 2 (1819). 

 Tilia mollis, Spach, in Ann. Sc. Nat. ii. 336 (1834). 

 Tilia europaa, Linnaeus, Sp. PI. 514 (1753) (in part) ; Loudon, Arb. et Frut. Brit. i. 364 (1838). 



A tree, attaining 130 ft. in height and upwards of 20 ft. in girth. Bark at first 

 smooth and grey, ultimately on old stems with narrow shallow longitudinal fissures 

 and ridges separating on the surface into small quadrangular scales. Young branch- 

 lets moderately covered with long white hairs ; older branchlets glabrescent. Leaves 

 (Plate 407, fig. 6) 3 to 4 in. in width and length, slightly uneven or wrinkled, ciliate in 

 margin, regularly serrate, the serrations ending in short cartilaginous points ; upper 

 surface dull green, covered with short pubescence ; lower surface lighter green, 

 covered with long whitish pubescence, densest on the midrib, nerves, and veinlets, 

 and forming dense axil-tufts at the base of the blade and at the junctions of the 

 primary nerves with the midrib and with the secondary nerves ; tertiary veinlets 

 parallel and prominent on the under surface; petiole stout, shorter than the blade, 

 whitish pubescent. 



Flowers in pendulous, usually three- flowered cymes ; about \ in. in diameter, 

 yellowish -white ; sepals slightly pubescent externally, downy within ; petals ob- 

 lanceolate, longer than the sepals ; stamens about thirty, longer than the petals ; 

 staminodes absent ; ovary globose, tomentose ; style glabrous. Fruit globose, 

 pyriform, or ovoid, usually 1 with three to five prominent ribs, tomentose, apiculate 

 at the apex ; shell woody and hard. 



In winter this species may be recognised by the twigs being slightly pubescent 

 near the buds, which are minutely pubescent at the tip and show externally three 

 glabrous ciliated scales. 



Varieties 



This species in the wild state varies considerably in the amount of pubescence 

 on the leaves, branchlets, and petioles ; and has been subdivided into five sub- 

 species by Schneider, who acknowledges, however, the great difficulty of limiting 

 them clearly. The most pubescent forms occur in northern Germany, northern 

 France, and Scandinavia ; while nearly glabrous forms are found in southern France, 

 Austria, and the Balkan States. V. Engler disagrees with Schneider's classification ; 

 and considers that the limes occurring in southern France, the Pyrenees, Italy, etc., 

 should be united with T. caucasica ; but this view is hardly tenable. The bract 

 is stalked in most cases, but is occasionally sessile; and abnormal forms occur 



1 A tree at Kew of undoubted T. platyphyllos, bore fruit in 1907, on which no trace of ribs was perceptible. 

 VII c 



