Tilia tomentosa
Details Top
| Internal ID | UUID643ffed4cafa3353070653 |
| Scientific name | Tilia tomentosa |
| Authority | Moench |
| First published in | Verz. Ausländ. Bäume : 136 (1785) |
Ethnobotanical Use Top
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Important notice
- Content in this section summarizes historical and cultural records. It is not medical advice.
- Do not use plants for self-treatment. Safety, efficacy, and appropriate use are not established here.
- Plant identification errors, allergies, and interactions can cause harm. Consult qualified professionals for health questions.
- Local legality and regulatory status may vary; verify before collecting, processing, or selling plant materials.
Among the Central and Eastern‑European folk traditions, Tilia tomentosa (silver‑linden) has been used for centuries as a gentle, diaphoretic tea. Hungarian herb lore records the infusion of dried flowers for colds and fever (Kovács et al., 2014). In Romanian village medicine a decoction of the young leaves is taken to ease anxiety and promote sleep (Pop & Dobre, 2012). Alpine practitioners in Austria prepare a hot infusion of the flower buds to calm coughs and reduce sore throats (Schneider et al., 2017). These reports all describe the use of flowers or young leaves, steeped in water to produce a clear, mildly sweet tea.
A practical recipe for a calming linden‑flower tea is as follows. Place 1–2 teaspoons (≈ 2–4 g) of dried Tilia tomentosa flowers in a cup, pour 250 mL of freshly boiled water over them, cover and let steep for 5–10 minutes. Strain and drink 1–3 cups daily while the symptoms persist. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) monograph on linden flower (2022) advises caution: the tea is generally safe for healthy adults, but pregnant women should limit intake to one cup per day and those on sedative medications should consult a physician, as the plant may enhance drowsiness.
Phytochemical analyses of Tilia tomentosa confirm the presence of flavonoids such as quercetin‑3‑O‑glucoside and kaempferol‑3‑O‑glucoside, phenolic acids (caffeic and chlorogenic acids), mucilaginous polysaccharides, and a small amount of essential oil containing linalool and geraniol (Antognoni et al., 2018). These constituents are known to exhibit mild anti‑inflammatory, spasmolytic and sedative activity, which aligns with the traditional indications for colds, cough and mild anxiety.
Today, dried Tilia tomentosa flowers are sold in herbal shops across Europe as “silver‑linden tea” and are a common ingredient in commercial soothing blends. Ongoing laboratory work is investigating the anxiolytic potential of its flavonoid fraction (Różalski et al., 2022), while the EMA continues to recognize the plant as a traditional herbal medicinal product for the relief of cold symptoms and mild nervous tension.
General Uses Top
Suggest a correction!Common products:
Tilia tomentosa yields lumber (temperate hardwood), a honey resource, and very low amounts of essential oil used in perfumery. The wood is marketed as silver lime or linden; honey is marketed as linden honey; the essential oil is marketed in very small quantities as “linden” oil.
Industrial and craft applications:
The timber is valued for its softness, fine and uniform grain, low resin content, and light color. It is used for carving and sculpture; interior joinery, molding, and paneling; musical instruments (organ pipes, soundboards, violin and guitar parts); pattern making and modeling; furniture components where color and finish are prioritized; and turned items. The high proportion of libriform fibers and vessels results in low shrinkage and excellent dimensional stability when properly dried. Sapwood and heartwood are similarly pale; the wood accepts finishes uniformly and holds fine detail. The light color and low tannin minimize discoloration, while low extractives facilitate clear coatings.
Fragrance and cosmetics:
The essential oil, obtained from the flowers by hydrodistillation in very low yield (commonly well below 1%), is used in niche perfumery and in some toiletries as a fragrance ingredient. It consists primarily of linalool and its derivatives, with characteristic floral notes and some green/herbal facets. As with many fragrance materials, the use in leave‑on products is subject to IFRA maximum use levels and industry good manufacturing practices.
Food and beverages (non‑medicinal):
The nectar supports monofloral “linden” honey, sold as a specialty product.
Properties relevant to use:
Wood: low shrinkage and excellent dimensional stability; uniform, fine grain; light color; low extractives. Fragrance oil: floral bouquet dominated by linalool and its acyloxy derivatives; very low yield from fresh flowers.
Sustainability and sourcing:
Silversilver linden occurs across Central and Southeast Europe and is managed in plantations and scattered urban settings. The tree’s tolerance of air pollution and suitability for urban forestry can support mixed-purpose plantings that yield timber and amenity values. Harvest is typically selective to maintain stand structure.
Synonyms Top
| Scientific name | Authority | First published in |
|---|---|---|
| Lindnera alba | Fuss | Fl. Transsilv. : 131 (1866) |
| Tilia rotundifolia | Vent. | Anales Hist. Nat. 2: 64 (1800) |
| Tilia pannonica | J.Jacq. ex Bayer | Verh. K. K. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 12: 48 (1862) |
| Tilia petiolaris | DC. | Prodr. 1: 514 (1824) |
| Tilia peduncularis | Delile ex Bayer | Verh. K. K. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 12: 58 (1862) |
| Tilia argentea | DC. | Cat. Pl. Horti Monsp. : 150 (1813) |
| Tilia gigantea | Dippel | Handb. Laubholzk. 3: 65 (1893) |
| Tilia alba | Aiton | Hort. Kew. 2: 230 (1789) |
| Tilia tomentosa subsp. petiolaris | Soó | Acta Bot. Acad. Sci. Hung. 23(3-4): 381, without correct basionym. 1978 [1977 publ. 1978] |
| Tilia pseudolongirostris | J.Wagner ex Vöröss | Acta Bot. Hung. 31(1–4): 173 (1985). |
| Tilia macrophylla | hort. ex Steud. | Nomencl. Bot. [Steudel], ed. 2. ii. 687. |
| Tilia glauca | Schwein. ex Bayer | Verh. K.K. Zool.-Bot. Ges. Wien 12: 53. 1862 |
| Tilia alba | Waldst. & Kit. | Descr. Icon. Pl. Hung. 1: 3, t. 3. [1799-1802] |
| Tilia communis var. argentea | (DC.) K.F.Schimp. & Spenn. | |
| Tilia alba var. petiolaris | (DC.) Loudon | |
| Tilia tomentosa var. obliqua | Thüm. | |
| Tilia tomentosa var. pannonica | Borbás | |
| Tilia tomentosa var. inaequalis | Simonk. | |
| Tilia tomentosa f. pendula | Schelle |
Common names Top
Add a new one! Suggest a correction!| Language | Common/alternative name |
|---|---|
| English | silver linden |
| English | silver lime |
| English | white linden |
| Spanish | tilo plateado |
| Spanish | tilo hungaro |
| Spanish | tilo húngaro |
| Arabic | زيزفون لبدي |
| Arabic | زيزفون فضي |
| Arabic | تيليا |
| Azerbaijani | gümüşü cökə |
| Azerbaijani | tüklü cökə |
| azb | گۆموشو جؤکه |
| Belarusian | Ліпа лямцавая |
| Bulgarian | сребролистна липа |
| Czech | lípa stříbrná |
| Czech | lípa plstnatá |
| Danish | sølv-lind |
| German | silber-linde |
| German | ungarische silberlinde |
| German | silberlinde |
| Greek | Φιλουριά |
| Greek | Φλαμουριά |
| Estonian | hõbepärn |
| Basque | ezki ilauntsu |
| Basque | ezki zilarkara |
| Persian | نمدار نقره ای |
| Persian | لیندن نقرهای |
| Persian | نمدار نقرهای |
| Finnish | hopealehmus |
| French | tilleul argenté |
| French | tilleul argente |
| Galician | tileiro prateado |
| Croatian | srebrnolisna lipa |
| Upper Sorbian | slěborna lipa |
| Hungarian | ezüst hárs |
| Icelandic | silfurlind |
| lb | sëlwerlann |
| Lithuanian | sidabrinė liepa |
| Latvian | sudraba liepa |
| Latvian | sudrabliepa |
| Macedonian | сребрена липа |
| Norwegian Bokmål | sølvlind |
| Dutch | zilverlinde |
| Polish | lipa srebrzysta |
| Polish | lipa węgierska |
| Romanian | tei argintiu |
| Russian | Липа серебристая |
| Russian | Липа венгерская |
| Russian | Липа пушистая |
| Russian | Липа войлочная |
| Slovak | lipa plstnatá |
| Slovak | lipa striebristá |
| Slovenian | srebrna lipa |
| Serbian | Сребрна липа |
| Swedish | silverlind |
| Turkish | gümüşi ıhlamur |
| Ukrainian | Липа срібляста |
| Ukrainian | Липа повстиста |
| Chinese | 银毛椴 |
| Chinese | 銀毛椴 |
| Chinese | 银叶椴 |
Germination/Propagation Top
Suggest a correction or add new data!
No germination or propagation data was added yet.
Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top
Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
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Asia-temperate click to expand
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Middle Asia
- Uzbekistan
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Western Asia
- East Aegean Islands
- Lebanon-Syria
- Turkey
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Middle Asia
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Europe click to expand
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Eastern Europe
- Ukraine
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Middle Europe
- Austria
- Czechoslovakia
- Hungary
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Southeastern Europe
- Albania
- Bulgaria
- Greece
- Romania
- Turkey-in-Europe
- Yugoslavia
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Southwestern Europe
- Spain
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Eastern Europe
Links to other databases Top
Suggest others/fix!| Database | ID/link to page |
|---|---|
| World Flora Online | wfo-0000457026 |
| UNII | 744437C6KV |
| Cornell Woody Plants | 259 |
| Canadensys | 6644 |
| USDA Plants | TITO |
| UConn | 507 |
| Tropicos | 32200641 |
| INPN | 126662 |
| Flora of Italy | 3087 |
| KEW | urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:835608-1 |
| The Plant List | kew-2517619 |
| Plantarium | 38526 |
| Missouri Botanical Garden | 287372 |
| Open Tree Of Life | 495951 |
| Observations.org | 147956 |
| NCBI Taxonomy | 121718 |
| NBN Atlas | NBNSYS0000034026 |
| IUCN Red List | 203362 |
| IPNI | 835608-1 |
| iNaturalist | 143800 |
| GBIF | 4259350 |
| Freebase | /m/03cvvm4 |
| EPPO | TILTO |
| EOL | 5422906 |
| Elurikkus | 7942 |
| USDA GRIN | 36702 |
| Wikipedia | Tilia_tomentosa |
Genomes (via NCBI) Top
No reference genome is available on NCBI yet. We are constantly monitoring for new data.
Scientific Literature Top
Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
| Title | Authors | Publication | Released | IDs | ||||||
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| Commodity risk assessment of Tilia cordata and Tilia platyphyllos plants from the UK | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, MacLeod A, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Reignault PL, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Vicent Civera A, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Battisti A, Mas H, Rigling D, Faccoli M, Mikulová A, Mosbach‐Schulz O, Stergulc F, Streissl F, Gonthier P | EFSA J | 03-May-2024 |
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| Ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal research into medicinal plants in the Mt Stara Planina region (south-eastern Serbia, Western Balkans) | Jarić S, Kostić O, Miletić Z, Marković M, Sekulić D, Mitrović M, Pavlović P | J Ethnobiol Ethnomed | 10-Jan-2024 |
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| Temporal variation of allergenic potential in urban parks during the vegetation period: a case study from Bratislava, Slovakia | Zahradníková E, Rendeková A, Ščevková J | Environ Sci Pollut Res Int | 05-Dec-2023 |
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| Pest categorisation of Pochazia shantungensis | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Gonthier P, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Reignault PL, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Vicent Civera A, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Grégoire J, Malumphy C, Kertesz V, Maiorano A, MacLeod A | EFSA J | 31-Oct-2023 |
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| Commodity risk assessment of Quercus petraea plants from the UK | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, MacLeod A, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Reignault PL, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Vicent Civera A, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Battisti A, Mas H, Rigling D, Faccoli M, Iacopetti G, Mikulová A, Mosbach‐Schulz O, Stergulc F, Streissl F, Gonthier P | EFSA J | 30-Oct-2023 |
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| Commodity risk assessment of Quercus robur plants from the UK | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, MacLeod A, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Reignault PL, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Vicent Civera A, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Battisti A, Mas H, Rigling D, Faccoli M, Iacopetti G, Mikulová A, Mosbach‐Schulz O, Stergulc F, Streissl F, Gonthier P | EFSA J | 30-Oct-2023 |
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| Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in bud-derived supplements by magnetic molecular imprinted microparticles and GC-MS: D-optimal design for a fast method optimization | Benedetti B, Tronconi A, Turrini F, Di Carro M, Donno D, Beccaro GL, Boggia R, Magi E | Sci Rep | 16-Oct-2023 |
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| Evaluation of Anticancer Activity of 76 Plant Species Collected in Andalusia (Spain) against Lung Cancer Cells | Jiménez-González V, Benítez G, Pastor JE, López-Lázaro M, Calderón-Montaño JM | Plants (Basel) | 15-Sep-2023 |
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| Nanoencapsulation of Anthocyanins from Red Cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. Capitata f. rubra) through Coacervation of Whey Protein Isolate and Apple High Methoxyl Pectin | Fierri I, De Marchi L, Chignola R, Rossin G, Bellumori M, Perbellini A, Mancini I, Romeo A, Ischia G, Saorin A, Mainente F, Zoccatelli G | Antioxidants (Basel) | 13-Sep-2023 |
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| Photovoltaic road pavements as a strategy for low-carbon urban infrastructures | Del Serrone G, Peluso P, Moretti L | Heliyon | 09-Sep-2023 |
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| Solvent-Free Determination of Selected Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in Plant Material Used for Food Supplements Preparation: Optimization of a Solid Phase Microextraction Method | Benedetti B, Di Carro M, Scapuzzi C, Magi E | Molecules | 08-Aug-2023 |
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| Commodity risk assessment of Fagus sylvatica plants from the UK | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, MacLeod A, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Reignault PL, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Vicent Civera A, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Battisti A, Mas H, Rigling D, Faccoli M, Gardi C, Iacopetti G, Mikulová A, Mosbach‐Schulz O, Stergulc F, Streissl F, Gonthier P | EFSA J | 28-Jul-2023 |
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| Anthropological significance of Tilia trees in Japan | Janowski D | Ecol Evol | 12-Jul-2023 |
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| Commodity risk assessment of Acer campestre plants from the UK | Bragard C, Baptista P, Chatzivassiliou E, Di Serio F, Jaques Miret JA, Justesen AF, MacLeod A, Magnusson CS, Milonas P, Navas‐Cortes JA, Parnell S, Potting R, Reignault PL, Stefani E, Thulke H, Van der Werf W, Vicent Civera A, Yuen J, Zappalà L, Battisti A, Mas H, Rigling D, Faccoli M, Gardi C, Iacopetti G, Mikulová A, Mosbach‐Schulz O, Stergulc F, Streissl F, Gonthier P | EFSA J | 06-Jul-2023 |
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| Nontarget catches of traps with chemical lures may refer to the flower‐visitation, probable pollination, and feeding of bush crickets (Ensifera: Tettigoniidae) | Nagy A, Ősz A, Tóth M, Rácz IA, Kovács S, Szanyi S | Ecol Evol | 04-Jul-2023 |
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Phytochemical Profile Top
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Collections Top
| In private collections | 0 |
| In public collections | 0 |