Side by side
Caucasian lime or small-leaved lime? How to tell them apart
Tilia × euchlora · Tilia cordata
How to tell them apart – Caucasian lime: lime with very glossy dark green leaves, drooping lower branches and a trunk without shoots; small-leaved lime: smaller, dull leaf with a blue-green underside.
How do you recognise them?
- Caucasian lime
- Lime with very glossy dark green leaves, drooping lower branches and a trunk without shoots.
- Small-leaved lime
- Small, lopsided heart-shaped leaf with a hairless, blue-green underside and rusty-brown tufts of hair.
- Compared with Caucasian lime: smaller, dull leaf with a blue-green underside.
| Caucasian lime | Small-leaved lime | |
|---|---|---|
| Leaves | Alternate, 5–10 cm, lopsided heart-shaped, finely and sharply toothed; glossy dark green above, paler below with 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 | Clusters of 3–7 fragrant, yellowish-white flowers, in mid-July (July). | Clusters of 5–10 flowers on a tongue-shaped bract, in early July (July). |
| Fruit | Egg-shaped, felted nutlets with a pointed tip. | Thin-walled nutlets without distinct ribs, easily crushed between your fingers. |
| Bark | Grey, smooth, later shallowly fissured; young twigs hairless and yellowish green. | Grey and finely fissured. |
| Shape and height | Broadleaf tree, 15–20 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.
- Caucasian lime (15–20 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: Caucasian lime
- Plant profile: Small-leaved lime
- Caucasian 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 small-leaved lime
- Katsura tree or small-leaved lime
Identify by feature
This comparison is compiled from the Bladwijzer species pages.