How do you recognise Small-leaved lime (Tilia cordata)?

Leaf

Liliane Roubaudi, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0

Small-leaved lime

Tilia cordata Mill.

Also known as: Littleleaf linden, Small-leaved linden

Family: Malvaceae

20 to 30 m tall

Cool forests, often planted as avenue trees

Flowering: June – July

Full sun

Part shade

-34°C

❓ How do you recognise this plant?

Late, very fragrant flowering, sought after by bees. Small-leaved lime has smaller leaves and a smooth, thin-walled, brittle fruit, whereas large-leaved lime has larger leaves and a ribbed, hard fruit.

🍃 Leaves

Heart-shaped, asymmetrical at the base, tufts of rusty hairs at the veins

🌸 Flowers

Small, pale yellow, very fragrant, borne on an elongated bract

🍎 Fruits

Small globular nutlets borne on the bract

🪵 Bark

Grey, finely fissured lengthways

🗺️ Distribution

Europe; common in France in lowland forest and widely planted in towns

🐝 Value for pollinators

Summer flowering extremely rich in nectar, one of the most attractive trees for bees in June–July

✂️ Horticultural uses

Very widely planted as an urban avenue tree and as a specimen for its shade and fragrant flowering

⚠️ Possible toxicity

No known toxicity

⚠️ Look-alike species

Small-leaved lime

Tilia cordata

Large-leaved lime

Tilia platyphyllos

Small-leaved lime has smaller leaves and a smooth, thin-walled, brittle fruit, whereas large-leaved lime has larger leaves and a ribbed, hard fruit.

🌿 Other Malvaceae to discover

Hibiscus rosa-sinensis

Okra

Abelmoschus esculentus

ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.

🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.