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Winter twig
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The
alternate leaves,
which are heart-shaped with a drawn-out pointed tip, are 5-10 cm long.
They are dark green and hairless above, but have tufts of white hairs
at the junctions of the veins
below. The margins have small, sharp teeth, whilst the leaf-stalks
are 3-5 cm long. The leaves often have 'blisters' on the upper
surface, caused by sap-sucking insects.
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Common
Lime is a tall, deciduous
tree, with arching lower branches, which reaches 25 m in
height. The old bark is grey and fissured
and punctuated by irregular bosses.
It is an introduced species, which has been widely planted in
'avenues' on estates, in streets, parks and large gardens.
The flowers
are arranged in hanging groups of 4-10 on a long stalk with a
linear, green,
leaf-like bract attached above.
The
5-petalled, sweet-smelling, yellowish-white flowers are 15 mm
across and appear in early July.
The
group of round, hairy and faintly ribbed fruits are dispersed together
with the green bract, which floats them away from the tree in October.
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This is
the tallest broad-leaved tree in Britain and it originated as
a hybrid between
the large-leaved and small-leaved lime.
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The stringy
inner bark called 'bass' was once used to make mats and ropes,
whilst the wood is still used for carving and making musical
instruments.
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Nectar from
the flowers provides food for honey bees in July.
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