One of the most frequently planted trees in London, common limes can be seen gracing our much loved parks and are synonymous with suburban avenues right across town.
In June they come into flower, which is a subtle spectacle compared to the fireworks of flowering cherries and other trees in the Rosaceae family. But what lime flowers lack in glamour, they make up for with their scent that will fill the air with a delightful heady aroma as June progresses.
Common limes are also the scourge of motorists because of the honeydew they (or strictly speaking the aphids they play host to) exude later in the summer. As a result, common lime is less planted now than in previous decades, so most trees will be older and often heavily pollarded, but other lime species like Mongolian or small-leaved limes might be found instead.
A classic avenue tree of leafy suburbia, Common Limes can become huge, but are usually pollarded to maintain a neat shape. There are many different Limes to be seen and they all look rather similar, so to identify this species look out for suckers around the base. In summer this tree is responsible for honey dew, that sticky stuff that makes cars and pavements go black.
