Littleleaf Linden Tree Seeds | Small-Leaved Lime | (Tilia cordata)

The most fragrant street tree in Europe. The honey that queens demanded. The shade that lasts centuries.

Tilia cordata, the Littleleaf Linden or Small-Leaved Lime, is the most widely planted ornamental linden in temperate horticulture and the source of one of the finest and most celebrated flower fragrances of any temperate tree, a sweet, honey-like, slightly narcotic scent that fills entire neighborhoods when large specimens bloom in midsummer and that has been recognized as one of the defining sensory experiences of the European summer for centuries. It is the linden of the great European boulevard plantings, the tree that lines the Unter den Linden in Berlin and equivalent grand avenues across the continent, developing into a massive, formal specimen of extraordinary longevity and urban tolerance. The flowers produce linden blossom honey considered among the finest in the world, and the dried flowers make the soothing tilleul tea that is one of the most consumed herbal teas in France. If you are looking to buy Littleleaf Linden seeds or grow Tilia cordata from seed, this is the linden of European tradition, with a documented history of cultivation and use that extends over 2,000 years.

• Intensely fragrant midsummer flowers filling entire streets with sweet honey-scented air when large specimens bloom
• The source of linden blossom honey and tilleul herbal tea, used in European tradition for centuries
• Extremely long-lived urban tree tolerating pollution, compaction, and heat better than most large shade trees
• Fine-textured, heart-shaped leaves creating an elegant canopy with distinctive small size relative to other lindens
• Cold-hardy to zone 3, one of the most cold-tolerant large ornamental trees with genuine fragrant flowers

Things you probably did not know about the Littleleaf Linden

The Unter den Linden boulevard in Berlin has been planted with linden trees since 1647. The famous promenade connecting the Brandenburg Gate to the Berlin Palace has been lined with linden trees, specifically Tilia cordata and related species, for nearly 400 years. The trees were destroyed during World War II and the subsequent division of Berlin but were replanted in both East and West Berlin after the war, and the restoration of the full avenue after reunification was considered a significant act of cultural healing. The name Under the Lindens carries the full weight of German cultural identity for the street that witnessed the most consequential moments of German history.

Linden blossom tea, tilleul, was prescribed by physicians across Europe for centuries as a treatment for anxiety, insomnia, and cardiovascular conditions. The pharmacological basis for these traditional uses has been partially validated in modern research. Tilia flowers contain flavonoids including quercetin and kaempferol along with volatile aromatic compounds that have demonstrated mild sedative and anxiolytic effects in laboratory and clinical studies. The tradition of drinking tilleul before bed as a soothing nightcap has been practiced in France continuously since the medieval period.

Bees can become intoxicated by linden nectar in certain conditions. Reports from across Europe describe honeybees and bumblebees becoming disoriented and dying beneath blooming linden trees under certain conditions. The cause appears to be compounds in some linden species' nectar that are harmless to humans but affect bee nervous systems differently, potentially combined with high sugar concentrations that promote excessive consumption. Not all linden species are implicated and the phenomenon is not consistent, but it has been documented enough times to be considered a genuine if uncommon occurrence.

The wood is the finest carving wood available in Europe and has been used by master carvers for 500 years. Linden wood, called limewood in the European carving tradition, is the preferred material for decorative woodcarving across Germanic and Central European craft traditions. Grinling Gibbons, the greatest decorative wood carver in English history, worked almost exclusively in linden wood for his elaborate naturalistic carvings in St. Paul's Cathedral and the royal palaces. The combination of fine, even grain, minimal figure, and ease of cutting in all directions makes linden the most responsive wood available for fine detail carving.

Growing Details

• Botanical Name: Tilia cordata
• Stratification: Required, warm stratification of 90 to 120 days followed by 90 to 120 days cold stratification
• USDA Zones: 3 to 7
• Soil: Well-drained, moist, slightly acidic to slightly alkaline, adaptable to urban soils
• Light: Full sun to partial shade
• Height: 50 to 70 feet
• Spread: 30 to 40 feet
• Growth Rate: Moderate, 1 to 2 feet per year

Plant it where you will be outdoors in July when it blooms. The fragrance on a warm evening from a large specimen is one of the most powerful and pleasant natural scents available in a temperate garden.