Scientific name: Tilia cordata
Common name: littleleaf linden
Native: No
Native range: Native to Europe, where it is broadly distributed [2,3,4,5].
Distribution in North America: Click to view the USDA Plants Database page for T. cordata.
USDA Zones: 4A-7A [1]
Maximum age: May live up to 1,000 years under natural conditions, or up to 2,000 years or more if well cared for and coppiced [2,3].
Ecology: In its native range, it hosts the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) and gall-forming mites; elsewhere, where it is planted as an ornamental, it is vulnerable to Japanese beetles (Popillia japonica) [1,3,5]. Honeybees and hummingbirds are attracted to its flowers [1,5].
Ethnobotany: Though it is primarily planted as an ornamental, its wood has been historically used in making bows, rope, clothing, musical instruments and cuckoo clocks [1,3,5]. An anti-inflammatory tea can be made from the flowers [3].
