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Tree Project.
Lime
Tree – Tilia.
There are about 30
species of Tilia that can be found occurring naturally over most of the
Northern Hemisphere. However, they are known by different names in
different parts of the World. In Europe they are called Linden Trees,
except in Great Britain and Ireland, where they are called Lime Trees,
although they are not in any way related to the Citrus Lime. In North
America, however, they are called Basswod. Tilia also occur naturally in
Asia.
Tilia will readily hybridise so the exact number of species is unknown
and indeed the Hybrid Tilia Europaea, that is common in Europe, is quite
rare here in the UK and is quite different to the smaller leafed, Tilia
Cordata, that is common in the UK.
Most species are large, deciduous trees that grow quickly, can easily
reach in excess of 100 feet and they also have a long life. One
particular tree at Westonbirt Arboretunm, in Gloucestershire, is claimed
to be 2,0000 years old.
In England Lime Trees have long been fashionable on big estates and were
especially so during the 17th and 18th centuries. Indeed, they are still
planted in larger gardens and trained almost espalier style in a method
called “Pleaching,” to make a high screen. This method of training is
where the trunk is allowed to grow to a given height and then the
branches are cut and trained horizontally, in a rigid, squared, frame
network.
Lime Trees are hermaphrodite, having flowers with both male and female
parts which are pollinated by insects. After the flowers, tiny, pea-like
fruit develop that have a greenish-yellow bract attached that helps with
the dispersal of the seeds. The Seeds of Lime Trees are very difficult
to germinate and need to be sown fresh because once they have dried out
they go into a long period of dormancy that is hard to break.
Young trees and old alike are prone to attack by Fungal diseases and
Canker as well as by many insects including aphids that feed on the rich
supply of sap. These Aphids in turn are preyed upon by Hoverflies,
Ladybirds and Birds and are often “Farmed,” by Ants for the Sap that
they release. Indeed, so common is this practice that Cars parked
underneath Lime Trees are often covered with drips of the sticky Sap.
The Leaves of Tilia are also an important food source for many types of
Moths and the scented Flowers give nectar that is an important food
source for beekeepers.
Not only are Tilia Trees important for Wildlife, but they are an
important natural resource of various materials for Humans. The flowers
have long been used to make a type of herbal tea in Greece and Turkey
and their timber is popular with model makers. The Wood has a fine,
light grain, that is easy to work and has good acoustic properties, so
it is used for many other purposes as well including making various
instruments such as Guitars, Recorders and Drums. Tilia wood is also
used to make window blinds and shutters. It is not only the Timber that
is harvested, but a strong fibre can be produced by peeling off the bark
and soaking it in water which enables the inner fibres to be separated.
This fibre, called Bast, harvested from Tilia Japonica, has long been
used by the Ainu people in Japan to weave their traditional clothing,
called Attus. Indeed, historical research has shown that such fibre was
used in Britain during the Bronze Age to make clothing and the fibres
were also used to make rope.
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