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Originally Posted by Tursiops2  Can anybody tell me the average lifespan and rate of growth of hybrid Lime Tilia x europaeus ? T2 |
Part of the problem of giving durations for tree longevity is that measurements are rarely taken from anything other than exceptional specimens, that is the most frequently the largest and/or visually characterful; these are either trees growing in optimal positions or have been subject to unusual management – either way they are likely to lay outside the normal lifetime ranges.
Oliver Rackham (Trees and Woodland in the British Landscape) suggest 400 years for pollarded small- leaved lime. Rackham also notes the propensity for mature lime to rot at the base and fall, but goes on to describe regrowth from the stump – this regrowth is in literal terms the same plant, on that basis the plant might be near eternal.
Out of curiosity I googled lime longevity – there’s one web entry
Forest of Leeds - Listing of tree species which gives a known date of planting, and an age of 350 years for a stand of small leaved lime.
Whether hybridisation is likely to affect lifespan I doubt anyone could say, after all – if there’s one shorter and one longer lived parent, which parent has contributed the genetic predictors of longevity in a given specimen ? I would guess the most significant impact upon individual longevity would be the immediate ecology – soil type and drainage, together with management type. These will also have a huge impact upon growth rate. The Forestry Commission used to be a good source of free or cheap data on different species – whether that has survived the various ‘outsourcing’ initiatives I don’t know but would be worth checking what they now publish.
CM