Tilia tomentosa

taxobox
name = "Tilia tomentosa"


image_caption = Foliage
regnum = Plantae
unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
unranked_classis = Eudicots
unranked_ordo = Rosids
ordo = Malvales
familia = Malvaceae
genus = "Tilia"
species = "T. tomentosa"
binomial = "Tilia tomentosa"
binomial_authority = Moench|

"Tilia tomentosa" (Silver Lime in the UK and Silver Linden in the US) is a species of "Tilia" native to southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia, from Hungary and the Balkans east to western Turkey, occurring at moderate altitudes.Rushforth, K. (1999). "Trees of Britain and Europe". Collins ISBN 0-00-220013-9.] Flora Europaea: [http://rbg-web2.rbge.org.uk/cgi-bin/nph-readbtree.pl/feout?FAMILY_XREF=&GENUS_XREF=Tilia+&SPECIES_XREF=tomentosa&TAXON_NAME_XREF=&RANK= "Tilia tomentosa"] ]

It is a deciduous tree growing to 20-35 m tall, with a trunk up to 2 m diameter. The leaves are alternately arranged, rounded to triangular-ovate, 4-13 cm long and broad with a 2.5–4 cm petiole, green and mostly hairless above, densely white tomentose with white hairs below, and with a coarsely toothed margin. The flowers are pale yellow, hermaphrodite, produced in cymes of three to ten in mid to late summer with a pale green subtending leafy bract; they have a strong scent and are pollinated by honeybees. The nectar however contains sugars which cannot be digested by bumble bees, to which the tree is somewhat toxic. The fruit is a dry nut-like drupe 8–10 mm long, downy, and slightly ribbed.Mitchell, A. F. (1974). "A Field Guide to the Trees of Britain and Northern Europe". Collins ISBN 0-00-212035-6]

Cultivation and uses

It is widely grown as an ornamental tree throughout Europe. The cultivar 'Brabant' has a strong central stem and a symmetrical conic crown. The cultivar 'Petiolaris' (Pendent Silver Lime) differs in longer leaf petioles 4–8 cm long and drooping leaves; it is of unknown origin and usually sterile, and may be a hybrid with another "Tilia" species. It is very tolerant of urban pollution, soil compaction, heat, and drought, and would be a good street tree in urban areas, but for the problems it causes leaving numerous dead and comatose bumble bees on the street below the tree.Mitchell, A. F. (1996). "Alan Mitchell's Trees of Britain". HarperCollins. ISBN 0-00-219972-6.]

Tea made from the flowers of "T. tomentosa" is antispasmodic, diaphoretic and sedative.Plants For A Future: [http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Tilia+tomentosa "Tilia tomentosa"] , which cites Lauriault, J. (1989). "Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada". Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. ISBN 0889025649] . This may be attributable to the presence of pharmacologically active ligands of benzodiazepine receptor cite journal |author=Viola, H., Wolfman, C., Levi de Stein, M., "et al". |title=Isolation of pharmacologically active benzodiazepine receptor ligands from Tilia tomentosa (Tiliaceae) |journal=Journal of ethnopharmacology |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=47–53 |year=1994 |pmid=7990504 |doi=]

References