Tilia cordata Mill.

A deciduous tree. It grows to 22 m high. The trunk is thick and short. The bark is brown and smooth at first but becomes dark and cracked. The branches arch downwards. The crown is dense and oval. The leaves are alternate and 4-8 cm long. They are dark green and shiny on top and with orange tufts of hair in the junctions of the veins underneath. They have teeth around the edge. The leaf stalk is not hairy. The flowers are greenish-yellow. They are in clusters of 7-8 on each leafy bract. The fruit are grey. They are neither ribbed nor hairy.

It is a temperate plant. It is native to W. Asia and Europe. It grows in the hills but not mountains in Europe. It needs cool, deep, moist loam soils. It suits hardiness zones 3-9. Arboretum Tasmania. Hobart Botanical Gardens.

The flowers were brewed for Linden tea. Young flowers should be used. The leaves are boiled with other vegetables. They can be used in salads. The leaves are used for sarma in Turkey. They are rolled around a filling of rice or minced meat. The nectar from the flowers is sucked by children.

Plants can be grown from seed. They can also be grown from suckers.