Tilia cordata

Preferred Conditions: It requires good summer soil moisture in loam soil that drains well. It can survive short periods of drought, though it can greatly impact their health.

Soil Type: Prefers a soil pH of 5-8.

Tolerances: It is listed as tolerant of dry conditions in Europe; it does not do well in mainland Australia during our hot dry summers. There are some excellent trees in Hobart, with its cooler summers and good summer rain.

Pests: Prone to infestation of ‘white fly’ or aphids; they suck sugar from leaves, there is often excess sugar that is deposited on objects under these trees. Parked cars can become covered in this exudate and this must be removed before it blackens.

Useful Life Expectancy (ULE): Can be very long lived; a tree in Slovenia is 700 years+; and trees in Germany thought to be 1,000 years.

Significance: An exotic tree maturing, a good example of a tree that is planted in some streets of this town, not common in Victoria.

Features: Leaves are distinctly heart shaped (cordate leaf base), dark green on upper surface and a much paler colour below; 3-8cm long and arranged alternatively on stems. Young leaves can be added to salads.

Flowers are held by a bract, often seen in clusters of 3-5, pale yellow in colour; these bracts are retained during the winter months and make identifying this type of tree easier. Flowers produce high amounts of pollen and are attract large numbers of bees.

Points of Interest: This type of tree is uncommon in southeastern Australia; this makes it a curiosity and of strong interest to people interested in horticulture.

Common street tree in Europe, it is now being used in UK to replace Elms. Elms have been decimated by ‘Dutch Elm Disease’ a pathogenic fungus that is introduced into the vascular system of Elm by the ‘Elm Bark Beetle’.