LIME. 55 



called the bractes, which very much resembles 

 a feather. The Italians follow the Latin 

 name Tilia, from which also the Spanish Teia, 

 and the French TilleuU seem derived. 



The English title seems to be a corruption 

 of the Dutch Linde or Lindenboom, or the Ger- 

 man Linden or Lindenbaum, as all our early 

 writers call it Line, or Linden-tree ; and as 

 we have now one species of the citrus-tree 

 called Lime, it would be desirable to resume 

 the ancient name of this tree, and call it Lin- 

 den, to avoid confusing the two. 



The linden is a native of Europe, and, ac- 

 cording to Thunberg, of Japan also. Mr. 

 Aiton makes it a native of this country ; but 

 it is hardly to be supposed that the able com- 

 piler of the Hortus Kewensis could possibly 

 follow back the register of each individual 

 plant with the scrutiny of a poursuivant at 

 arms. 



We find no English name for this tree but 

 what is evidently borrowed from the Ger- 

 mans, and our earliest writers mention it as 

 a rare tree. Dr. Turner tells us, in 1568, " it 

 groweth very plenteously in Essekes, in a 

 parke within two mile from Colichester, in 

 the possession of one Master Bogges ; it is 

 also very common in high Germany." Ge- 

 rard observes, in 1597, " that the female lin- 



e 4 



