Side by side
Common lime or small-leaved lime? How to tell them apart
Tilia × europaea · Tilia cordata
How to tell them apart – common lime: A cross between large-leaved and small-leaved lime, large, lopsided heart-shaped leaf with pale hair tufts underneath, the trunk is often covered in shoots; small-leaved lime: smaller leaf with a blue-green underside and rusty-brown hair tufts.
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. JoJan assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0 · source
Common lime Tilia × europaea
How do you recognise them?
- Common lime
- A cross between large-leaved and small-leaved lime: large, lopsided heart-shaped leaf with pale hair tufts underneath; the trunk is often covered in shoots.
- Small-leaved lime
- Small, lopsided heart-shaped leaf with a hairless, blue-green underside and rusty-brown tufts of hair.
- Compared with common lime: smaller leaf with a blue-green underside and rusty-brown hair tufts.
| Common lime | Small-leaved lime | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, 6–12 cm, lopsided heart-shaped, finely toothed; underside light green and largely hairless, with white to pale brown tufts of hair in the vein axils. | Alternate, lopsided heart-shaped, 3–8 cm, finely toothed. Underside blue-green and hairless, with rusty-brown tufts of hair in the vein axils. |
| Flowering | Hanging clusters of 4–10 fragrant, yellowish-white flowers on a tongue-shaped bract, in early July (June–July). | Clusters of 5–10 flowers on a tongue-shaped bract, in early July (July). |
| Fruit | Globular nutlets with faint ribs. | Thin-walled nutlets without distinct ribs, easily crushed between your fingers. |
| Bark | Grey and finely fissured; the base and trunk are often covered in epicormic shoots and burrs. | Grey and finely fissured. |
| Shape and height | Broadleaf tree, 25–35 m | Broadleaf tree, 20–30 m |
| Site | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal | Sun or partial shade, any garden soil, normal |
| Native to Belgium | No, planted | Yes |
| Good for bees, butterflies and birds | – | Yes, for bees and butterflies |
| Poisonous to people and pets | Not known to be poisonous | Not known to be poisonous |
| Pruning months | November–March | November–March |
What does it mean for your garden?
- Small-leaved lime is native: it feeds more insects and birds than a non-native species. If in doubt, choose this one.
- Common lime (25–35 m) and small-leaved lime (20–30 m) both grow into large trees: too big for an ordinary garden, but fine in a large garden, a park or a meadow.
Read on
- Plant profile: Common lime
- Plant profile: Small-leaved lime
- Common lime: when and how to prune
- Small-leaved lime: when and how to prune
- Identification key
Also looks like
- Large-leaved lime or small-leaved lime
- Common lime or Caucasian lime
- Common lime or large-leaved lime
- Katsura tree or small-leaved lime
- Caucasian lime or small-leaved lime
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.