Littleleaf linden (Tilia cordata)

Lining the west side of the playing field south of SMATE Map

Native to Europe and western Asia this tree has round heart-shaped leaves. A line of these young trees faces the west side of the playing field beneath Chemistry and Biology. Small now (2006), they will reach heights of 80 ft. or more. Slightly more mature specimens are located near the southern entrance to Carver gym. A closely related species can be observed on the eastern side of the Bird Sanctuary.

Linden flowers are a traditional herbal remedy (linden flower tea), considered to be of value as an anti-inflammatory in a range of respiratory problems: colds, fever, flu, sore throat, bronchitis, cough and others. A valuable monofloral honey is produced by bees using the trees. The young leaves can be eaten as a salad vegetable

In England and elsewhere in northern Europe it has been "coppiced" for many centuries, to produce wood for carving, and bark material for making ropes. (To "coppice" is to harvest wood periodically by cutting young shoots arising from a living stump.) Each time a coppiced stump is harvested it expands slightly in diameter. One source states that there are coppiced stumps in existence that are nearly 50 ft. in diameter, and perhaps 2000 years old. One way to create a perfectly impenetrable fence is to plant linden trees close together, then coppice them for a few centuries.