With their distinctive heart shape, the leaves of the small-leaved lime are easy to identify. In addition, they have many other interesting properties that you certainly did not know. For example, can you tell the leaves of the small-leaved lime from those of the small-leaved lime? If you have read the following article, you will surely succeed.
The leaves of the small-leaved linden are larger than those of the small-leaved linden
features
- heart shaped
- deciduous
- slightly hairy
- sharply sawn
- up to 12 cm long and just as wide
- short petiole
- white tufts in the vein angles
- Lush green on top
- Underside light green
Differences to the small-leaved lime
If you take a closer look at the leaves of the two lime tree species that grow here and know what to look for, it's easy to tell the leaves of the large-leaved lime from those of the small-leaved lime.
You have to pay attention to this with the summer linden:
- larger leaves
- uniform green colour
- Petiole is also hairy
- Hairs on the underside of the leaves are white, only turning brown in late summer
You have to pay attention to this with the small-leaved lime:
- smaller leaves
- hairless, instead leathery leaf upper side
- blue-grey underside of leaf
- brown hairs on the underside of the leaf
Changes in large-leaved lime leaves over the course of the year
In spring, the red, round buds on the branches of the small-leaved lime ripen. The heart-shaped leaves later develop from them. The summer linden is a deciduous tree that turns bright yellow in autumn.
use
Great importance is attributed to the leaves of the summer linden in naturopathy. You can consume them without hesitation, for example use them in salads. The young leaves in particular taste pleasantly soft and represent a varied alternative. The leaves of the small-leaved lime also contain essential oils, which are used as home remedies to alleviate numerous ailments.
The linden leaf in mythology
However, the health aspects mentioned above are in contrast to the Nibelung legend. Here the linden leaf on Siegfried's shoulder stands for his vulnerability.
The unloved honeydew
Aphids often attack the leaves of the summer linden. They are relatively harmless to the tree itself, but they are a nuisance to many a gardener or driver. You certainly know the sticky film that drips from the leaf crown of the small-leaved linden onto the sidewalk, bicycles and cars parked under the deciduous tree in summer.