Green Guide: <i>Tilia cordata</i>

Tilia cordata’s fragrant flowers are a favorite of bees and butterflies. Photo by Joseph O’Brien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.orgTilia cordata (littleleaf linden) is one of those exceptional specimens that become a show-stopper in the landscape.

The littleleaf linden has dense and compact foliage, and a pyramidal shape. It grows in a variety of soils and is highly tolerant to adverse conditions, such as those found in cities. It’s a native of Europe, but in North America it grows as far north as Manitoba.

Leaves are heart-shaped, finely toothed and dark green with uneven bases growing up to 5 inches long. The leaf is dark green above, paler underneath, and has rusty tufts of down in the rib axils. The leaves alternate between left and right handed, successive leaves being mirror images of each other. A distinctive feature of lindens is the way the flower stalk rises from the middle of a special leaf-like bract.
 
Fragrant flowers are yellow-green and grow in clusters. The flowers appear in June and last until August, attracting a number of pollen-loving insects. Small nutlets of fruit hanging on long stems beneath large, leafy wings appear from August through October. T. cordata has been naturalized throughout southeastern Canada and the eastern United States, but Michael A. Dirr said some trees have survived on the University of Georgia campus, thanks in part to afternoon shade.

In the landscape
This deciduous tree typically grows to 60 feet high but will grow as high as 90 feet. Branches are upright and spreading.
 
The tree grows in sun or partial shade, will tolerate alkaline soil if it is moist and it transplants well. It is not particularly tolerant of drought, scorching at the leaf margins in summer drought. But this apparently does little long-term harm. 
 
Littleleaf linden’s growth rate and dense, symmetrical crown make it a good choice for city trees, but it is sensitive to road salt. In Europe it’s often pruned into hedges. Watch for Japanese beetles, aphids and sooty mold.

Some cultivars
Bicentennial linden (T. cordata ‘Bicentennial’) features a dense pyramidal and conical form.
 
Corinthian linden (T. cordata ‘Corzam’) is resistant to Japanese beetle and provides a compact pyramidal form.
 
‘Greenspire’ has a strong leader and performs well under difficult conditions.
 
‘June Bride’ is a profuse flowering selection.
 
Norlin linden (T. cordata ‘Ronald’) has a rapid growth rate.
 
Shamrock linden (T. cordata ‘Baileyi’) has a broad conical habit with a more open crown.