Mongolian Lime
Tilia mongolica
Mallow family (Malvaceae)
Robust and more
The Mongolian lime grows on the often-barren plains of Russia, China and Mongolia, by nature it is therefore highly resistant to harsh winters. However you might need to look twice before recognizing this species as a lime tree.
Unlike the spade-shaped leaves of the common lime, the leaf of the Mongolian lime is almost palmate, more like the leaves of a maple. In addition, the bark is flaky. The clusters of winged fruit are very similar to those of the common lime.
The Mongolian lime grows slowly, taking about ten years to attain the first 4 m. As a result its timber is much more robust than that of the common lime, this is needed in order to withstand the snowstorms at 2 km altitude.
Themes
Crown jewel in the Belmonte Arboretum.
During the three weeks that this tree is in flower, bees forsake most other flowering plants for the lime - hence its common Dutch name the 'bee tree'. The bees are attracted to the nectar in the flowers from which they make a strongly flavoured, white honey.
This is a food for emergency situations - young leaves and shoots can be eaten raw or cooked. A refreshing herb tea can be made from the flowers. The fruits and flowers can be ground to make a paste, which is a very good chocolate substitute - however marketing this product failed because the paste readily decomposes.
Lime flowers are used in the manufacture of perfumes.
A tea made from the flowers acts as an antispasmodic, diaphoretic (increases sweating) and sedative.
A fibre is obtained from the tough inner bark. It can be made into diverse items such as mats, shoes and coarse cloth.
Details
| Description: | Tree, up to 10 m tall. |
|---|---|
| Distributions: | East asia: north china to mongolia. |
| Habitat: | Mountain slopes, 1300 - 2300 m in altitude. |
| Year cycle: | Perennial (polycarpic decidous) |
| Hardiness: | Colder than -4 f (very hardy) |
| Flowering period: | Juli |
| Flower color: | Yellow |
| Notes on flowers: | De kleine gele bloemen verschijnen in een tuiltje van 6-20(30), schutblad met korte steel 5-7 cm. |
| Notes on fruits: | Doosvrucht klein 5-6 mm, rond, dikschalig, behaard; niet waargenomen. |
| At its best: | Juli - oktober |