Tilia platyphyllos

Large-leaved lime (Tilia platyphyllos)

The summer linden (Tilia platyphyllos), botanical spelling with a hyphen -leaved lime, also known as the Moreton Bay Linde, is a kind of deciduous tree of the genus Linden (Tilia ) in the mallow family ( Malvaceae ). She was 1991 Tree of the Year.

• 4.1 The Dorflinde that Tanzlinde, the court Linde
• 4.2 The Linde in religion
• 4.3 The Linde in the symbolism
• 4.4 The Linde in the literature
• 4.5 The Linde in music
• 4.6 The Linde in catering

Dissemination

The summer linden is native to central and southern Europe, but relatively rarely occurring wild. At rubble rich hillside sites it can be due to their high extraction force to prevail over other tree species. It is therefore often represented in scree forests and canyon forests. They considered the tree of the middle mountain areas. In the free state they developed a powerful crown, however, is sensitive to late frosts.

Description

The summer Linde is reached to 1.8 meters a tree stature heights of up to 40 meters and trunk diameter up. She has dark green leaves and finely cracked. The tree crown is high with very steep ascending branches. As a young tree, the Sommerlinde usually has a more hemispherical crown. The bark is cracked and peeling off each year.

The young shoots are hairy reddish green and clear. The egg-shaped buds are dark red. The leaves are ovate and abruptly acuminate, they are heart-shaped at the base crooked. The leaf margin is cut sharply crenate. The leaves are dark green above and hairy, lighter below and densely hairy especially on the nerves. The size of the leaves is very variable with about 15 to 18cm long ( length to width) in a few cases, the leaves are also 2 to 4cm long. The sheet is seated on a hairy about 2 to 5 cm long stem.

The summer linden flowers in June and is therefore in Central Europe, the earliest flowering Lindenart. The flowers hang in cymes mostly 3-4 (sometimes 6). The flowers are about 12 mm in size with a weißlichgrünen bract. The spherical fruit has five ribs, covered with dense hair and is about 8 to 10 mm in size.

Linden are often very old, which show many tree monuments in Germany. The popular saying that Linden " come three hundred years, three hundred years, and pass three hundred years. " Even ancient, hollow Linden sometimes develop still an amazing vitality. The secret to their longevity are new interior roots that grow from the trunk of the aged toward the ground to anchor it there and form a young crown when the old tree dies. The Linde therefore tapers as it were, from the inside out.

Use

The summer Linde plays a minor role in forest plantations in Central Europe. As a park and street tree was and it is, however, often planted.

The flowers of summer Linde are in beekeeping a pretty good bee pasture due to the high sugar content of their nectar ( up to 94 %) and its high sugar value ( up to 7.7 mg glucose / day per flower). Honey yields of around 0.8 kg per tree and flowering season are possible.

The summer Linde is one of the tree species with the best sprouting ability. The fast-growing tree species was used as an undergrowth in forests means. Its wood was, despite the relatively low calorific value, therefore used as firewood.

Culinary

The young, still soft lime leaves are edible and are suitable because of their extremely mild flavor good for salads.

Herbalists

As a cure, the linden blossom has long been and is still being used with good success. It is one of the most popular home remedies. Their effectiveness is demonstrated by the experience in the home medicine, missing other efficacy studies for the linden blossom itself. However, there are studies on their ingredients.

Only in the 17th century, has apparently discovered the sudorific effect of Lindenblütentees, which is still used as a remedy. Linde is also available as winter, but not as spring or autumn linden tree. The summer Linde is the most widespread kind

Use of wood

→ Main article: basswood

The wood of the large-leaved lime is not different from the wood of the small-leaved lime and the Dutch Linde. In use of the timber is therefore not distinguish between these types. The main use of lime wood is in sculpture, carving and turnery. Especially the famous works of the late Gothic period, so by Tilman Riemenschneider or Veit Stoss were often made of basswood. Today, however, the easier -to-find wood of Eastern White Pine ( Pinus strobus ) is often used for carving.

Cultural Significance

The Dorflinde that Tanzlinde, the court Linde

In many regions of Germany, the center of the village was once marked with Linden summer. He was Verkündstätte, place of assembly, where court was held. Still Elector Augustus of Saxony signed his ordinances with " Given under the linden ". Known Linden Court, for example, the Mahllinden at Oberdorla and the court Linde ( Mallinde ) above Berka vd Hainich.

See also: Court Linde

However, it also took place the feasts of the village under the linden tree. In some places it even a dance floor was built high up among the branches of the lime tree. The side facing the " Linde rooms " formed hollow parapets, which were closed with led Linde drives. The hustle and bustle then took place in the middle of the tree. The musicians played there on top. Receive include the dance of Linden Limmersdorf at Bayreuth, by Galen Beck in Mecklenburg -Vorpommern and Effeltrich. Another former Tanzlinde is that of Schenklengsfeld near Bad Hersfeld.

Another special feature is the so-called Apostolic Linden, where twelve branches of a linden tree were artificially drawn in the width and wide overhanging branches are supported with oak or stone columns. This creates a huge lime tree arbor. The most famous apostle Linde projects into Gehrden Warburg and can be climbed via an iron spiral staircase. Another adorns the town center in Effeltrich where the low, wide spreading crown was worn by a double row bar frame with 24 columns.

Old Summer Linden in the open fields or in the forest often identify Dorfwüstungen. The Sambacher Linde west of Mulhouse was, for example, earlier in the center of the hamlet Tutterode.

In northern Germany, in particular in Westphalia, summer Linden were planted on the west side of the house and as a trellis cut parallel to the house year after year. This natural skin keeps the summer sun from the house and cools this, in autumn the foliage is cut off and the autumn and winter sun can warm the house.

The Linde in religion

Linden are consecrated in the Germanic faith of the goddess Freya. Since Freya is considered as the goddess of love, beauty and fertility, also symbolic meanings can be (see below) and customs ( village festivals were once used, among other pair formation ) due to the fact.

Similarly, oaks are the god Thor consecrated.

The lime in the symbolism

Linde is the symbol of conjugal love, of kindness, hospitality and modesty. This symbolism is to go back to Ovid's story of Philemon and Baucis, the old couple, who desired nothing more than to die together so that none of them had to experience the death of the other. Zeus fulfilled this wish; when death came to them, he transformed the two in Trees: Philemon into an oak and Baucis into a lime tree.

The lime in the literature

Bettina Brentano Clemens once wrote to her brother:

The Linden blossom, Clemente, and the evening wind is shaking in their branches. Who am I, that you give me zuweht all your fragrance, your Linden? Ah, say the Linden, you go about all alone among our tribes and includes our tribes, as if we were people, since we are talking at you with our scent.

The Linde in music

The summer Linde has also found the German people songs input. The first stanza of the famous song " At the fountain in front of the gates" of Wilhelm Müller to the tune of Franz Schubert, for example, is:

" At the fountain in front of the gates, there stands a linden tree: I dreamed in its shadows so many sweet dreams; I cut in its bark so many loving words; In joy and sorrow it to him, I was always drawn. "

In the first stanza of the famous German folk song " no more beautiful country in this time" Linde is mentioned as an evening meeting place:

" Not a nice country at this time, as here the uns're far and wide. Where we find ourselves well under Linden for dinner. "

The Linde in catering

The most common pub name with more than 1,000 in Germany is "Zur Linde".

Cultivated forms

• 'Aurea ': The bark of annual shoots is fresh bright green, making them shape looks very striking in winter.
• ' Laciniata ': This form is high up to about 16 meters. The leaves are smaller than model ( about 5 to 6 cm long). The leaf blade is deeply incised and often curled.

Known leaved lime

• Allen Pacher Hoflinde on the Great Heuberg (Baden- Württemberg)
• Linde in Wiesbach, community Blaufelden (Baden- Württemberg)
• Tanzlinde in Effeltrich ( Bavaria )
• Hindenburglinde in Ramsau bei Berchtesgaden ( Bavaria )
• Big Linde at Teuchatz, Heiligenstadt, in Upper Franconia ( Bavaria )
• Tungsten Linde in Ried ( Bavaria )
• Linde in Schenklengsfeld (Hessen)
• Linde in Himmelberg (Hessen)
• Königslinde in Lengefeld (Saxony- Anhalt)