King's Lime | Tilia europaea 'Koningslinde'

Purmerend has no real tradition of 'royal' trees. We do have a tree in honour of queen Juliana (a Dutch Lime tree), which stands on the Julianaplein, at the intersection of Heerengracht and Korte Heerengracht. In the same year, an elm was also planted on the Tramplein on the occasion of Queen Wilhelmina's birthday. Unfortunately, that tree is gone.

The Dutch Lime is a very old cross between the Small-leaved Lime and the Summer Lime. Because both 'parents' occur in the wild in the Netherlands, this tree can occur spontaneously in forests. However, this crossing originated in a nursery. The Lime is part of the Lime family.

This tree is often planted on farms, because it provides a lot of shade and it can grow in most soils and places. Usually the tree has a variable crown with some heavy main branches and irregularly spreading side branches. In old age, the trunk is quite grooved and clad with thicker tubercles, often on which young twigs grow.

There are now a number of selections of this hybrid that have a better crown. As a result, the tree is already planted less. That's a good thing, because this Lime is quite sensitive to aphids. As a result, use in the city is limited to parks and larger green areas.