Tilia platyphyllos large-leaf linden

Tilia platyphyllos in late fall color, Columbae House. Sairus Patel, 9 Dec 2019

Tilia platyphyllos leaf. From Trees of Stanford and Environs, Ronald Bracewell

This tree’s leaves, up to 5 inches, are longer than those of T. cordata, little-leaf linden, and the leaf margins usually are more sharply and regularly serrate. The leaves’ undersides generally are light green, while those of T. cordata normally have a whitish (glaucous) cast.

Two old specimens at 575 Salvatierra Street are all that remain from a former row (1904). One tall tree with trunk diameter more than 3 feet is at Columbae House (549 Lasuen Mall); another next to it came down in 2009. Our trees hold onto their leaves through much of December, when other linden species are bare.

Tilia platyphyllos leaf. From An Illustrated Manual of Pacific Coast Trees, Howard E. McMinn & Evelyn Maino