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{{Taxobox
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Tilia''
| image = Sommerlinde (Tilia platyphyllos).jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = ''Tilia platyphyllos''
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Malvales]]
| familia = [[Malvaceae]]
| genus = '''''Tilia'''''
| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
About 30; see text
}}
[[Image:Alexandra park avenue.jpg|thumb|A lime-lined [[avenue (landscape)|avenue]] in [[Alexandra Park, London]]]]
[[Image:Lisc lipy.jpg|thumb|150px|''Tilia'' leaf]]
'''''Tilia''''' is a [[genus]] of about 30 species of [[tree]]s, native throughout most of the temperate [[Northern Hemisphere]], in [[Asia]] (where the greatest species diversity is found), [[Europe]] and eastern [[North America]]; it is not native to western North America. Under the [[Cronquist]] classification system, this genus was placed in the family [[Tiliaceae]], but genetic research by the [[Angiosperm Phylogeny Group|APG]] has resulted in the incorporation of this family into the [[Malvaceae]].
The trees are generally called '''lime''' in Britain and '''linden''' in North America. Both names are derived from the [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] root ''lind''. The modern forms in English derive from ''linde'' or ''linne'' in Anglo Saxon and old Norse, and in Britain the word transformed more recently to the modern British form ''lime''. In the United States, the modern [[German language|German]] name ''Linden (pl)'', from the same root, became more common, partly to avoid confusion with any other uses of the name. Neither the name nor the tree is related to the citrus fruit called "[[Lime (fruit)|lime]]" (''Citrus aurantifolia'', family [[Rutaceae]]). Another widely-used common name used in North America is '''Basswood''', derived from ''bast'', the name for the inner bark (see [[Basswood#Uses|Uses]], below).
''Tilia'' species are large [[deciduous]] trees, reaching typically 20-40 m tall, with oblique-cordate leaves 6-20 cm across, and are found through the north temperate regions. The exact number of species is subject to considerable uncertainty, as many or most of the species will [[hybrid]]ise readily, both in the wild and in cultivation; the following list comprises those most widely accepted.
==Species==
*''[[Tilia americana]]'' Basswood or American Linden
*''[[Tilia amurensis]]'' Amur Lime or Amur Linden
*''[[Tilia begoniifolia]]''
*''[[Tilia caroliniana]]'' Carolina Basswood
*''[[Tilia chinensis]]''
*''[[Tilia chingiana]]''
*''[[Tilia cordata]]'' Small-leaved Lime or Little-leaf Linden
*''[[Tilia mongolica]]'' Mongolian Lime or Mongolian Linden
*''[[Tilia dasystyla]]''
*''[[Tilia europaea]]'' European Lime
*''[[Tilia henryana]]'' Henry's Lime or Henry's Linden
*''[[Tilia heterophylla]]'' White Basswood
*''[[Tilia hupehensis]]'' Hubei Lime
*''[[Tilia insularis]]''
*''[[Tilia intonsa]]''
*''[[Tilia japonica]]'' Japanese Lime
*''[[Tilia kiusiana]]''
*''[[Tilia mandshurica]]'' Manchurian Lime
*''[[Tilia maximowicziana]]''
*''[[Tilia mexicana]]''
*''[[Tilia miqueliana]]''
*''[[Tilia mongolica]]'' Mongolian Lime or Mongolian Linden
*''[[Tilia nobilis]]''
*''[[Tilia occidentalis]]'' - West lime
*''[[Tilia oliveri]]'' Oliver's Lime
*''[[Tilia paucicostata]]''
*''[[Tilia platyphyllos]]'' Large-leaved Lime
*''[[Tilia rubra]]'' - Kafkas lime
*''[[Tilia tomentosa]]'' Silver Lime or Silver Linden
*''[[Tilia tuan]]''
===Hybrids and cultivars===
[[Image:Tilia x europea-2.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Leaves and trunk of common lime (''[[Tilia × europaea]]'')]]
*''[[Tilia × euchlora]]'' (''T. dasystyla × T. platyphyllos'')
*''[[Tilia × vulgaris]]'' Common Lime (''T. cordata × T. platyphyllos''; syn. ''T. × europaea'')
*''Tilia × petiolaris'' (''T. tomentosa × T. ?'')
*''Tilia'' 'Flavescens' (''T. americana × T. cordata'')
*''Tilia'' 'Moltkei' (hybrid, unknown origin)
*''Tilia'' 'Orbicularis' (hybrid, unknown origin)
*''Tilia'' 'Spectabilis' (hybrid, unknown origin)
==Description==
The Linden's sturdy trunk stands like a pillar and the branches divide and subdivide into numerous ramifications on which the spray is small and thick. In summer this is profusely clothed with large leaves and the result is a dense head of abundant foliage.<ref name=Keeler>{{cite book
| last =Keeler
| first =Harriet L.
| title =Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them
| publisher =Charles Scriber's Sons
| date =1900
| location =New York
| pages =24-31 }}</ref>
The leaves of all the lindens are one-sided, always heart-shaped, and the tiny fruit, looking like [[pea]]s, always hangs attached to a curious, ribbon-like, greenish yellow bract, whose use seems to be to launch the ripened seed-clusters just a little beyond the parent tree. The flowers of the European and American lindens are similar, except that the American bears a petal-like scale among its stamens and the European varieties are destitute of these appendages. All of the lindens may be propagated by cuttings and grafting as well as by seed. They grow rapidly in a rich soil, but are subject to the attacks of many insect enemies.<ref name=Keeler />
==Uses==
[[Image:Lindenfoliage.jpg|thumb|right|Linden foliage in autumn colors from [[Ekoparken]] in Stockholm.]]
The Linden is to be recommended as an ornamental tree when a mass of foliage or a deep shade is desired.<ref name=Keeler /> The tree produces fragrant and nectar-producing flowers, the medicinal [[herb]] lime blossom. They are very important [[honey]] plants for [[beekeeping|beekeepers]], producing a very pale but richly flavoured [[monofloral honey]]. The flowers are also used for [[herbal tea]], and this infusion is particularly popular in Europe.
''T. cordata'' is the preferred species for medical use, having a high concentration of active compounds. It is said to be a nervine, used by herbalists in treating restlessness, hysteria, and headaches. Usually, the double-flowered lindens are used to make perfumes. The leaf buds and young leaves are also edible raw. ''Tilia'' species are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species - see ''[[List of Lepidoptera which feed on Tilia]]''.
The [[timber]] of lime trees is soft and easily worked, so it is a popular wood for carving. The wood is often used for model building and intricate carving, and for making electric guitar bodies. Other musical instrument uses include its use for wind instruments such as recorders. It is also the wood of choice for the window-blinds and shutters industries. Real wood blinds are often made from this lightweight but strong and stable wood which is well suited to natural and stained finishes.
It is known in the trade as basswood, particularly in [[North America]]. This name originates from the inner fibrous bark of the tree, known as ''bast'' ([[Old English language]]). A very strong [[fibre]] was obtained from this, by peeling off the bark and soaking in water for a month; after which the inner fibres can be easily separated. Bast obtained from the inside of the bark of the lime tree has been used by the [[Ainu people]] of Japan to weave their traditional clothing, the [[attus]].
In the percussion industry, basswood is sometimes used as a material for drum shells, both to enhance their sound and their esthetics. Mapex VX, Sonor Force 507, Pearl Vision, Tama Superstar, and Ludwig Accent drums all contain basswood plies.
Basswood is also frequently used as a material for [[electric guitar]] bodies. In the past, it was typically used (along with [[agathis]]) for favoured for less-expensive models. However, due to its better resonance at mid and high frequency, and better sustain than alder, it is now more commonly in uses with all kinds of [[superstrat]]s, such as [[Ibanez RG]], [[Ibanez JEM]], and even [[Jackson Soloist]], among other superstrats.
==History==
In Europe, Lime trees are known to have reached ages measured in centuries. In the courtyard of the Imperial Castle at Nuremberg is a lime which tradition says was planted by the Empress Cunigunde, the wife of Henry II of Germany. This would make the tree about nine hundred years old (when it was described in {{asof|1900}}).<!-- replace the "asof" template with a confirmation date when a more recent description is found --> It looks ancient and infirm, but in 1900 was sending forth thrifty leaves on its two or three remaining branches and was of course cared for tenderly. The famous Lime of Neustadt on the Kocher in Würtemberg was computed to be one thousand years old when it fell.<ref name=Keeler />. The Alte Linde tree of Naters, Switzerland, is already mentioned in a document in 1357 and described by the writer at that time as already "magnam" (huge). A plaque at its foot mentions that in 1155 a Lime tree was already on this spot.
* The excellence of the honey of far-famed [[Hybla]] was due to the lime trees that covered its sides and crowned its summit.
* The name of [[Linnaeus]], the great botanist, was derived from a lime tree.
* ''Tilia'' appears in the tertiary formations of Grinnel Land in 82° north latitude, and in [[Spitsbergen]]. Sapporta believed that he found there the common ancestor of the limes of Europe and America.<ref name=Keeler />
==Cultural significance==
The lime tree is a [[national emblem]] of [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]] and the [[Czech Republic]],{{Fact|date=February 2007}} where it is called ''lipa'' (in [[Slovak language|Slovak]], [[Polish language|Polish]], and [[Slovenian language|Slovenian]]) and ''lípa'' (in [[Czech language|Czech]]). The tree also has cultural and spiritual significance in Hungary, where it is called ''hars''(''fa'').The [[Croatia]]n currency, ''kuna'', consists of 100 ''lipa'', also meaning "linden". The lime tree is also the tree of legend of the [[Slavs]]. In the Slavic [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox Christian]] world, limewood was the preferred wood for panel [[icon]] painting. The famous icons by the hand of [[Andrei Rublev]], including the [[Holy Trinity Icon|Holy Trinity]] (Hospitality of Abraham), and [[Christ the Redeemer (icon)|The Savior]], now in the [[State Tretyakov Gallery]] in [[Moscow]], are painted on limewood. Limewood was chosen for its ability to be sanded very smooth, and for its resistance to warping once [[Seasoning (wood)|seasoned]].
The national poet of Romania, [[Mihai Eminescu]], was known to receive poetic inspiration from a linden tree in the [[Copou Gardens]] under which he would compose.
The most famous street in [[Berlin]], [[Germany]] is called ''Unter den Linden'' or ''Under the lindens'', named after the linden trees lining the boulevard. In German folklore, the linden tree is the "tree of lovers."
===Germanic mythology===
{{see|Gerichtslinde}}
The tilia was also a highly symbolic and hallowed tree in [[Germanic paganism|Germanic]] mythology. In [[Germany]] e.g., there are over 850 place names that can be traced back to it:{{Fact|date=May 2007}} For pre-Christian Germans it was an object of worship since the lime-tree was associated with [[Freyja]], the guardian of life and goddess of fortune, love and truth. Therefore her tree was considered a tree of peace and it often formed the central meeting place of many villages and rural communities. Furthermore, legend has it that it cannot be struck by lightning since Freya is the wife of [[Thor]], a major god of the Germanic pantheon.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} Consequently, it was assumed that the lime-tree possessed some protective power against evil and catastrophe, and even after the Christianization of Germany the lime-tree’s positive connotation continued: Motherly Freya was subsequently replaced by the [[Mother of God]], so that many trees were rededicated to St. Mary (''Marienlinde''). Accordingly, limewood was used as a superstitious precaution against [[witchcraft]] or [[Satan]] and the tree kept its prominent role as a benign guardian of the village.
Originally, local communities not only assembled to celebrate and dance under the lime-tree and the aegis of Freya, but also to hold their judicial [[thing (assembly)|thing]] meetings there in order to restore justice and peace. It was believed that the tree would help unearth the truth and that no one was able to lie maliciously without attracting Freya’s rage. Thus the tree became associated with [[jurisprudence]] even after Christianization and verdicts in rural Germany were frequently returned ''sub tilia'' (under the lime-tree) until the [[Age of Enlightenment]].
===Greek mythology===
[[Homer]], [[Horace]], [[Virgil]], and [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] mention the lime-tree and mention its virtues. As [[Ovid]] tells the old story of [[Baucis and Philemon]], she was changed into a linden and he into an [[oak]] when the time came for them both to die.
Herodotus says:
{{quote|The Scythian diviners take also the leaf of the lime-tree, which, dividing into three parts, they twine round their fingers; they then unbind it and exercise the art to which they pretend.}}<ref name=Keeler />
===Romantic symbol===
As Freya was also the goddess of love her tree was always considered a romantic symbol, even to the present day. For instance, a very famous [[mediaeval]] love poem by [[Walther von der Vogelweide]] (c.1170-c.1230) starts with a reference to the lime-tree:
{|
|
:''Under der linden''
:''an der heide,''
:''dâ unser zweier bette was,''
:''dâ mugt ir vinden''
:''schône beide''
:''gebrochen bluomen unde gras.''
:''vor dem wald in einem tal,''
:''tandaradei,''
:''schône sanc diu nahtegal.''
|
:Under the lime tree
:on the open field,
:where we two had our bed,
:you still can see
:lovely both
:broken flowers and grass.
:On the edge of the woods in a vale,
:tandaradei,
:sweetly sang the nightingale.
|}
Linden-trees play a significant [[Motif (literature)|motif]] in a number of poems written by the most famous [[Romania]]n romantic poet [[Mihai Eminescu]]. An excerpt from his poem ''Mai am un singur dor'' (One Wish Alone Have I):
{|
|
:''Pătrunză talanga''
:''Al serii rece vânt,''
:''Deasupră-mi teiul sfânt''
:''Să-şi scuture creanga.''
|
:While softly rings
:The evening's cool wind
:Above me the holy lime
:Shakes its branch. ''(translation: M.G.Jiva)''
|}
====Romantic symbols in music====
The trees have also become more famous from [[O-Zone]]'s [[Dragostea Din Tei]] (Love From Linden Trees).
{|
|
:''Vrei sa pleci dar nu ma nu ma iei, nu ma nu ma iei, nu ma nu ma nu ma iei. Chipul tau si Dragostea din tei mi-amintesc de ochii tai.''
|
:You want to leave, but you can't, you can't take me, you can't, you can't take me, you can't, you can't, you can't take me. The image of your face and the love from linden trees remind me of your eyes.''
|}
====Other Literary References====
The lime tree is an important symbol in [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]]'s "This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison," (written 1797; first published 1800).
The linden tree is featured as a symbol of supernatural dread in, Hannah Crafts, [[The Bondwoman's Narrative]].
A poem from [[Wilhelm Müller]]'s cycle of poems, [[Winterreise]], is called "Der Lindenbaum." The cycle was later set to music by [[Franz Schubert]].
== See also ==
{{Commons|Tilia}}
{{wikispecies|Tilia}}
* [[Dragostea Din Tei]] - a [[Romania]]n/[[Moldova]]n [[song]] referring to lindens
* [[Unter den Linden]] - an [[avenue (landscape)|avenue]] of lindens in [[Berlin]], [[Germany]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Malvaceae]]
| color = lightgreen
| name = ''Tilia''
| image = Sommerlinde (Tilia platyphyllos).jpg
| image_width = 240px
| image_caption = ''Tilia platyphyllos''
| regnum = [[Plant]]ae
| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
| ordo = [[Malvales]]
| familia = [[Malvaceae]]
| genus = '''''Tilia'''''
| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
| subdivision_ranks = Species
| subdivision =
About 30; see text
}}
[[Image:Alexandra park avenue.jpg|thumb|A lime-lined [[avenue (landscape)|avenue]] in [[Alexandra Park, London]]]]
[[Image:Lisc lipy.jpg|thumb|150px|''Tilia'' leaf]]
'''''Tilia''''' is a [[genus]] of about 30 species of [[tree]]s, native throughout most of the temperate [[Northern Hemisphere]], in [[Asia]] (where the greatest species diversity is found), [[Europe]] and eastern [[North America]]; it is not native to western North America. Under the [[Cronquist]] classification system, this genus was placed in the family [[Tiliaceae]], but genetic research by the [[Angiosperm Phylogeny Group|APG]] has resulted in the incorporation of this family into the [[Malvaceae]].
The trees are generally called '''lime''' in Britain and '''linden''' in North America. Both names are derived from the [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] root ''lind''. The modern forms in English derive from ''linde'' or ''linne'' in Anglo Saxon and old Norse, and in Britain the word transformed more recently to the modern British form ''lime''. In the United States, the modern [[German language|German]] name ''Linden (pl)'', from the same root, became more common, partly to avoid confusion with any other uses of the name. Neither the name nor the tree is related to the citrus fruit called "[[Lime (fruit)|lime]]" (''Citrus aurantifolia'', family [[Rutaceae]]). Another widely-used common name used in North America is '''Basswood''', derived from ''bast'', the name for the inner bark (see [[Basswood#Uses|Uses]], below).
''Tilia'' species are large [[deciduous]] trees, reaching typically 20-40 m tall, with oblique-cordate leaves 6-20 cm across, and are found through the north temperate regions. The exact number of species is subject to considerable uncertainty, as many or most of the species will [[hybrid]]ise readily, both in the wild and in cultivation; the following list comprises those most widely accepted.
==Species==
*''[[Tilia americana]]'' Basswood or American Linden
*''[[Tilia amurensis]]'' Amur Lime or Amur Linden
*''[[Tilia begoniifolia]]''
*''[[Tilia caroliniana]]'' Carolina Basswood
*''[[Tilia chinensis]]''
*''[[Tilia chingiana]]''
*''[[Tilia cordata]]'' Small-leaved Lime or Little-leaf Linden
*''[[Tilia mongolica]]'' Mongolian Lime or Mongolian Linden
*''[[Tilia dasystyla]]''
*''[[Tilia europaea]]'' European Lime
*''[[Tilia henryana]]'' Henry's Lime or Henry's Linden
*''[[Tilia heterophylla]]'' White Basswood
*''[[Tilia hupehensis]]'' Hubei Lime
*''[[Tilia insularis]]''
*''[[Tilia intonsa]]''
*''[[Tilia japonica]]'' Japanese Lime
*''[[Tilia kiusiana]]''
*''[[Tilia mandshurica]]'' Manchurian Lime
*''[[Tilia maximowicziana]]''
*''[[Tilia mexicana]]''
*''[[Tilia miqueliana]]''
*''[[Tilia mongolica]]'' Mongolian Lime or Mongolian Linden
*''[[Tilia nobilis]]''
*''[[Tilia occidentalis]]'' - West lime
*''[[Tilia oliveri]]'' Oliver's Lime
*''[[Tilia paucicostata]]''
*''[[Tilia platyphyllos]]'' Large-leaved Lime
*''[[Tilia rubra]]'' - Kafkas lime
*''[[Tilia tomentosa]]'' Silver Lime or Silver Linden
*''[[Tilia tuan]]''
===Hybrids and cultivars===
[[Image:Tilia x europea-2.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Leaves and trunk of common lime (''[[Tilia × europaea]]'')]]
*''[[Tilia × euchlora]]'' (''T. dasystyla × T. platyphyllos'')
*''[[Tilia × vulgaris]]'' Common Lime (''T. cordata × T. platyphyllos''; syn. ''T. × europaea'')
*''Tilia × petiolaris'' (''T. tomentosa × T. ?'')
*''Tilia'' 'Flavescens' (''T. americana × T. cordata'')
*''Tilia'' 'Moltkei' (hybrid, unknown origin)
*''Tilia'' 'Orbicularis' (hybrid, unknown origin)
*''Tilia'' 'Spectabilis' (hybrid, unknown origin)
==Description==
The Linden's sturdy trunk stands like a pillar and the branches divide and subdivide into numerous ramifications on which the spray is small and thick. In summer this is profusely clothed with large leaves and the result is a dense head of abundant foliage.<ref name=Keeler>{{cite book
| last =Keeler
| first =Harriet L.
| title =Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them
| publisher =Charles Scriber's Sons
| date =1900
| location =New York
| pages =24-31 }}</ref>
The leaves of all the lindens are one-sided, always heart-shaped, and the tiny fruit, looking like [[pea]]s, always hangs attached to a curious, ribbon-like, greenish yellow bract, whose use seems to be to launch the ripened seed-clusters just a little beyond the parent tree. The flowers of the European and American lindens are similar, except that the American bears a petal-like scale among its stamens and the European varieties are destitute of these appendages. All of the lindens may be propagated by cuttings and grafting as well as by seed. They grow rapidly in a rich soil, but are subject to the attacks of many insect enemies.<ref name=Keeler />
==Uses==
[[Image:Lindenfoliage.jpg|thumb|right|Linden foliage in autumn colors from [[Ekoparken]] in Stockholm.]]
The Linden is to be recommended as an ornamental tree when a mass of foliage or a deep shade is desired.<ref name=Keeler /> The tree produces fragrant and nectar-producing flowers, the medicinal [[herb]] lime blossom. They are very important [[honey]] plants for [[beekeeping|beekeepers]], producing a very pale but richly flavoured [[monofloral honey]]. The flowers are also used for [[herbal tea]], and this infusion is particularly popular in Europe.
''T. cordata'' is the preferred species for medical use, having a high concentration of active compounds. It is said to be a nervine, used by herbalists in treating restlessness, hysteria, and headaches. Usually, the double-flowered lindens are used to make perfumes. The leaf buds and young leaves are also edible raw. ''Tilia'' species are used as food plants by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species - see ''[[List of Lepidoptera which feed on Tilia]]''.
The [[timber]] of lime trees is soft and easily worked, so it is a popular wood for carving. The wood is often used for model building and intricate carving, and for making electric guitar bodies. Other musical instrument uses include its use for wind instruments such as recorders. It is also the wood of choice for the window-blinds and shutters industries. Real wood blinds are often made from this lightweight but strong and stable wood which is well suited to natural and stained finishes.
It is known in the trade as basswood, particularly in [[North America]]. This name originates from the inner fibrous bark of the tree, known as ''bast'' ([[Old English language]]). A very strong [[fibre]] was obtained from this, by peeling off the bark and soaking in water for a month; after which the inner fibres can be easily separated. Bast obtained from the inside of the bark of the lime tree has been used by the [[Ainu people]] of Japan to weave their traditional clothing, the [[attus]].
In the percussion industry, basswood is sometimes used as a material for drum shells, both to enhance their sound and their esthetics. Mapex VX, Sonor Force 507, Pearl Vision, Tama Superstar, and Ludwig Accent drums all contain basswood plies.
Basswood is also frequently used as a material for [[electric guitar]] bodies. In the past, it was typically used (along with [[agathis]]) for favoured for less-expensive models. However, due to its better resonance at mid and high frequency, and better sustain than alder, it is now more commonly in uses with all kinds of [[superstrat]]s, such as [[Ibanez RG]], [[Ibanez JEM]], and even [[Jackson Soloist]], among other superstrats.
==History==
In Europe, Lime trees are known to have reached ages measured in centuries. In the courtyard of the Imperial Castle at Nuremberg is a lime which tradition says was planted by the Empress Cunigunde, the wife of Henry II of Germany. This would make the tree about nine hundred years old (when it was described in {{asof|1900}}).<!-- replace the "asof" template with a confirmation date when a more recent description is found --> It looks ancient and infirm, but in 1900 was sending forth thrifty leaves on its two or three remaining branches and was of course cared for tenderly. The famous Lime of Neustadt on the Kocher in Würtemberg was computed to be one thousand years old when it fell.<ref name=Keeler />. The Alte Linde tree of Naters, Switzerland, is already mentioned in a document in 1357 and described by the writer at that time as already "magnam" (huge). A plaque at its foot mentions that in 1155 a Lime tree was already on this spot.
* The excellence of the honey of far-famed [[Hybla]] was due to the lime trees that covered its sides and crowned its summit.
* The name of [[Linnaeus]], the great botanist, was derived from a lime tree.
* ''Tilia'' appears in the tertiary formations of Grinnel Land in 82° north latitude, and in [[Spitsbergen]]. Sapporta believed that he found there the common ancestor of the limes of Europe and America.<ref name=Keeler />
==Cultural significance==
The lime tree is a [[national emblem]] of [[Slovakia]], [[Slovenia]] and the [[Czech Republic]],{{Fact|date=February 2007}} where it is called ''lipa'' (in [[Slovak language|Slovak]], [[Polish language|Polish]], and [[Slovenian language|Slovenian]]) and ''lípa'' (in [[Czech language|Czech]]). The tree also has cultural and spiritual significance in Hungary, where it is called ''hars''(''fa'').The [[Croatia]]n currency, ''kuna'', consists of 100 ''lipa'', also meaning "linden". The lime tree is also the tree of legend of the [[Slavs]]. In the Slavic [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox Christian]] world, limewood was the preferred wood for panel [[icon]] painting. The famous icons by the hand of [[Andrei Rublev]], including the [[Holy Trinity Icon|Holy Trinity]] (Hospitality of Abraham), and [[Christ the Redeemer (icon)|The Savior]], now in the [[State Tretyakov Gallery]] in [[Moscow]], are painted on limewood. Limewood was chosen for its ability to be sanded very smooth, and for its resistance to warping once [[Seasoning (wood)|seasoned]].
The national poet of Romania, [[Mihai Eminescu]], was known to receive poetic inspiration from a linden tree in the [[Copou Gardens]] under which he would compose.
The most famous street in [[Berlin]], [[Germany]] is called ''Unter den Linden'' or ''Under the lindens'', named after the linden trees lining the boulevard. In German folklore, the linden tree is the "tree of lovers."
===Germanic mythology===
{{see|Gerichtslinde}}
The tilia was also a highly symbolic and hallowed tree in [[Germanic paganism|Germanic]] mythology. In [[Germany]] e.g., there are over 850 place names that can be traced back to it:{{Fact|date=May 2007}} For pre-Christian Germans it was an object of worship since the lime-tree was associated with [[Freyja]], the guardian of life and goddess of fortune, love and truth. Therefore her tree was considered a tree of peace and it often formed the central meeting place of many villages and rural communities. Furthermore, legend has it that it cannot be struck by lightning since Freya is the wife of [[Thor]], a major god of the Germanic pantheon.{{Fact|date=May 2007}} Consequently, it was assumed that the lime-tree possessed some protective power against evil and catastrophe, and even after the Christianization of Germany the lime-tree’s positive connotation continued: Motherly Freya was subsequently replaced by the [[Mother of God]], so that many trees were rededicated to St. Mary (''Marienlinde''). Accordingly, limewood was used as a superstitious precaution against [[witchcraft]] or [[Satan]] and the tree kept its prominent role as a benign guardian of the village.
Originally, local communities not only assembled to celebrate and dance under the lime-tree and the aegis of Freya, but also to hold their judicial [[thing (assembly)|thing]] meetings there in order to restore justice and peace. It was believed that the tree would help unearth the truth and that no one was able to lie maliciously without attracting Freya’s rage. Thus the tree became associated with [[jurisprudence]] even after Christianization and verdicts in rural Germany were frequently returned ''sub tilia'' (under the lime-tree) until the [[Age of Enlightenment]].
===Greek mythology===
[[Homer]], [[Horace]], [[Virgil]], and [[Pliny the Elder|Pliny]] mention the lime-tree and mention its virtues. As [[Ovid]] tells the old story of [[Baucis and Philemon]], she was changed into a linden and he into an [[oak]] when the time came for them both to die.
Herodotus says:
{{quote|The Scythian diviners take also the leaf of the lime-tree, which, dividing into three parts, they twine round their fingers; they then unbind it and exercise the art to which they pretend.}}<ref name=Keeler />
===Romantic symbol===
As Freya was also the goddess of love her tree was always considered a romantic symbol, even to the present day. For instance, a very famous [[mediaeval]] love poem by [[Walther von der Vogelweide]] (c.1170-c.1230) starts with a reference to the lime-tree:
{|
|
:''Under der linden''
:''an der heide,''
:''dâ unser zweier bette was,''
:''dâ mugt ir vinden''
:''schône beide''
:''gebrochen bluomen unde gras.''
:''vor dem wald in einem tal,''
:''tandaradei,''
:''schône sanc diu nahtegal.''
|
:Under the lime tree
:on the open field,
:where we two had our bed,
:you still can see
:lovely both
:broken flowers and grass.
:On the edge of the woods in a vale,
:tandaradei,
:sweetly sang the nightingale.
|}
Linden-trees play a significant [[Motif (literature)|motif]] in a number of poems written by the most famous [[Romania]]n romantic poet [[Mihai Eminescu]]. An excerpt from his poem ''Mai am un singur dor'' (One Wish Alone Have I):
{|
|
:''Pătrunză talanga''
:''Al serii rece vânt,''
:''Deasupră-mi teiul sfânt''
:''Să-şi scuture creanga.''
|
:While softly rings
:The evening's cool wind
:Above me the holy lime
:Shakes its branch. ''(translation: M.G.Jiva)''
|}
====Romantic symbols in music====
The trees have also become more famous from [[O-Zone]]'s [[Dragostea Din Tei]] (Love From Linden Trees).
{|
|
:''Vrei sa pleci dar nu ma nu ma iei, nu ma nu ma iei, nu ma nu ma nu ma iei. Chipul tau si Dragostea din tei mi-amintesc de ochii tai.''
|
:You want to leave, but you can't, you can't take me, you can't, you can't take me, you can't, you can't, you can't take me. The image of your face and the love from linden trees remind me of your eyes.''
|}
====Other Literary References====
The lime tree is an important symbol in [[Samuel Taylor Coleridge]]'s "This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison," (written 1797; first published 1800).
The linden tree is featured as a symbol of supernatural dread in, Hannah Crafts, [[The Bondwoman's Narrative]].
A poem from [[Wilhelm Müller]]'s cycle of poems, [[Winterreise]], is called "Der Lindenbaum." The cycle was later set to music by [[Franz Schubert]].
== See also ==
{{Commons|Tilia}}
{{wikispecies|Tilia}}
* [[Dragostea Din Tei]] - a [[Romania]]n/[[Moldova]]n [[song]] referring to lindens
* [[Unter den Linden]] - an [[avenue (landscape)|avenue]] of lindens in [[Berlin]], [[Germany]]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Malvaceae]]
