Small-leaved Lime was one of the last species to spread across north-west Europe as the ice retreated. About 4,500 years ago the fossil pollen record shows a regional 'crash' as humans began felling and clearing woodland at scale, lime being important for many uses. Its presence today can indicate ancient woodland, and trees can live at least 400 years.
Native to most of north-west Europe except Ireland and Portugal, and eastwards to Central Siberia and N. Iran. Native to England and Wales, probably an archaeophyte in Scotland and Ireland.
Monoecious, with clusters of 5-8 insect-pollinated hermaphrodite flowers. The fruit is a dry, nut-like drupe (1-2 seeds) with a persistent papery wing-bract, able to fly 300m on the wind. Fertile seed needs mid-summer temperatures of at least 20°C. It also spreads by suckering and layering.
Tall (40m), domed but can be narrow in competition, often coppiced or pollarded into multiple straight stems, the trunk sometimes epicormic. Bark grey-brown, developing long fissures and lumpy ridges from about 30 years. Twigs slender, brown or red in sun, briefly star-haired; buds red-brown with two visible scales, alternate. Leaves (8cm), almost round, asymmetrically cordate at the base, bright green and glabrous above, paler with red vein-axil tufts below, serrate. Flowers in stiff upright sprays, yellow-green, plentiful and sweetly scented, June-July. Fruit a globular drupe (4-7mm), smooth-skinned but densely fine-haired, unribbed and thin, in clusters of 5-8 (up to 30). It frequently hybridises with Large-leaved Lime to form fertile Common Lime.
Thrives in most well-drained, especially deep loamy, soils, disliking waterlogging. Moderately to strongly shade-tolerant, a useful companion in hardwood plantations for reducing epicormic shoots on oak. Traditionally coppiced, with old stools indicating ancient woodland.
Its flowers attract many insects, especially bees and hoverflies. Its rapidly decaying leaves enrich soil with nitrogen and phosphorus, supporting earthworms. The lime aphid, Eucallipterus tiliae (notorious in suburbia), stimulates nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria through its sugary secretions, and the foliage attracts browsing deer.
Generally healthy, with good resistance to honey fungus. The foliage attracts browsing deer but generally resists Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) bark-stripping. A warming climate might extend its range northwards through improved seed fertility.
Its diffuse-porous timber is pale, almost white when fresh, lightweight, soft and finely uniform, ideal for carving and rocking-horse-making, and, being unlikely to warp, the preferred timber for organ and piano keys. Its fibrous inner bark was traditionally harvested as 'bast' for cordage and rope-making.
