Silver Linden
Tilia tomentosa
The Silver Linden tree is native to Europe and Western Asia, and was first introduced to North America by European settlers in the mid 1700’s.
It is a tall tree that can reach up to 70 feet in height, with a limb span of 25 – 35 feet.
While it requires full sun to thrive, it can otherwise adapt to a variety of soils--acidic, alkaline, loamy, moist, sandy, well-drained and clay—and is moderately drought tolerant.
It bears showy fragrant off-white flowers in late June to early July, and with these showy beauties Silver Lindens attract clouds of humming bees during bloom time.
While its fall foliage colors aren’t terribly remarkable, this linden’s fluttering silver green leaves and generous stature make it a beautiful shade tree during the hot summer months.
In France, its flowers are used to brew “Tilleul” tea.
One Cornell Silver Linden's Projected Benefits
Every tree provides both function and value, from shade and wildlife habitats to CO2 sequestration and stormwater retention. To help us appreciate some of the benefits of the trees around us, iTree Design has developed a tool to calculate the main financial benefits of a given tree in a specific location over time.
Note that these monetary values will vary greatly based on where the tree stands; energy usage for indoor spaces will not be reduced by a tree placed far from a building, for example. These numbers are calculated for one specific Silver Linden tree that stands here on the Ag Quad of Cornell's Ithaca Campus.
Total Projected Benefits (2020-2045)
Over the next 25 years, based on forecasted tree growth, i-Tree Design projects total benefits worth $148.
$98 of savings by reducing 4,222 lbs. of atmospheric carbon dioxide through CO2 sequestration and decreased energy production needs and emissions
$47 of storm runoff savings by avoiding 5,286 gallons of stormwater runoff (intercepting 54,768 gallons of rainfall)
$3 of air quality improvement savings by absorbing and intercepting pollutants such as ozone, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, and particulate matter; reducing energy production needs; and lowering air temperature
$0 of summer energy savings by direct shading and air cooling effect through evapotranspiration
$0 of winter energy savings by slowing down winds and reducing home heat loss
Silver linden section from Gustav Hempel and Karl Wilhelm's Die Bäume Und Sträucher Des Waldes in Botanischer Und Forstwirtschaftlicher Beziehung (1889)
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