I have a linden tree in my front yard. It’s really big. She covers almost my entire front yard. Linden’s scientific name is Tilia. I think it sounds so quirky and cute. The Linden tree feels very feminine, to me. The trunk is sturdy, and thick, with deep, etching grooves in the bark. The branches are winding and covered in dense foliage of broad leaves. The canopy is heavy with green filtered light. If I was a little beastie I’d seek sanctuary within her canopy. She is native to Europe and North America. The common name linden comes from English lithe, or German lind, which means lenient or yielding. In Proto-Germanic lenda, or Latin lentus, which means flexible. The wood of the linden tree is soft, lightweight, and flexible. Its easily worked and often used for musical instruments. Another common name is basswood, named from it’s bast, or the inner bark. The inner bark is fibrous and can be made into paper. The native Americans would make cord or rope from the bast. Linden wood rots very easily and some old trees have many cavities where birds nest. All lindens are slow growers but can get very big, look out for sprouts along the base of the trunk.
The leaves are slightly heart-shaped and asymmetrical. In late spring she produces little yellow, fragrant flowers that are a favorite of bees and makes a distinct and flavorful honey. Her quirks don’t end there. In summer she produces a cluster of pea-sized berries at the end of each branch. The berries are attached to a finger shaped bract, slim, pale green and silvery. The bract acts as a blade to help disperse the seeds, much like maple trees. The flowers can be gathered and dried to make a tisane, which is quite sweet to taste.
Tilia is our guardian tree, our protector. When I was trying to name our house, I know I wanted to incorporate our Linden tree into the name, since she is such a distinctive feature of our house. The term lee describes a sheltered place, especially from wind. So now I shall forever think of our house as Lindenlee. It sort of just rolls off the tongue and sounds whimsical, much like our dear Tilia.
aspen mitchell 