Tilia cordata little-leaf linden

Sterling silver linden on California Avenue. Sairus Patel, 19 Jun 2021

This most drought-tolerant of the lindens is at its most alluring in mid-May to mid-June, when honey-scented flowers dangle from the tongue-like bracts. Silvery fuzz on the leaf undersides helps bestow its resistance to drought and contrasts with the deep green upper surfaces, lending a pleasing two-tone effect to the canopy. To these already commendable features can be added a shapely oval-shaped crown and decent yellow fall foliage that drops only around Thanksgiving. The bracts persist for a while on the bare limbs.

A few dozen of the ‘Sterling’ cultivar were planted along Palo Alto’s California Avenue business district in 2009 and have been performing splendidly. Older specimens can be found elsewhere in the city. This handsome linden is not yet present on campus.