Lifespan of Lime

[Tursiops2]

Can anybody tell me the average lifespan and rate of growth of hybrid Lime Tilia x europaeus ?

T2

[Beekeeper]

I am not an expert on Lime trees by a long way but at a guess i would say probably around 100 years depending on how well it is looked after, Limes do benefit from pruning as they can get top heavy and due to the root system being somewhat inadequate compared to some other trees, have a habit of blowing over in a strong wind.
I am not sure if it is due to roots rotting off or just poor roots.

BK

[Cotham Marble]

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

[Tursiops2]

Thanks CM, but that's too much info
I just want some idea whether a 60' lime in the garden of a house built in 1937 is likely to pre-date or post-date construction (for a question on another forum). I could have been more specific I suppose

[Cotham Marble]

Originally Posted by Tursiops2

Thanks CM, but that's too much info
I just want some idea whether a 60' lime in the garden of a house built in 1937 is likely to pre-date or post-date construction (for a question on another forum). I could have been more specific I suppose

Well at least I didn't go out and survey the local street plantings in an attempt to guage mortality rates LOL

An 18 metre height in 72 years gives an average of around 25cm a year - well within the realms of possibility I'd say. Mature height for T.europaeus (now T.vulgaris ?) is 35 metres and for a species with a maximal life span of 400 years and with mature height expected at perhaps 40% of that, say 160 years, 18 metres would suggest an age close to half way to maturity i.e 80 years.

I don't think there's anyway to give an absolute answer to which came first, the house or the tree, short of a photograph but as a it's a common cultivar and the ages of house and tree seem to match, the probability is that the tree was a planting associated with building of the house.

CM

[Tursiops2]

OK, thanks for that. I'll pass it on.
T2