Scientific Name
Tilia x euchlora ‘Crimean Linden’
Crimean linden is a cross between littleleaf linden (Tilia cordata), which is very familiar in Colorado, and Caucasian linden (Tilia dasystyla). In some regions of Europe where the ranges of these two species overlap, the hybrid can arise naturally. The tree can grow 40 to 60 feet tall, though the lower end of that range is likely the limit in this region, with a crown spread roughly half as wide.
There is not a great deal of difference between Crimean linden and the typical littleleaf linden. Some observers describe the hybrid as having a more graceful branching structure, with branches becoming increasingly pendulous as the tree ages. One horticultural writer also notes that the foliage is glossier than that of littleleaf linden and has a brighter green color.
Otherwise, the similarities are numerous: uneven leaf bases, fragrant yellow flowers borne on bracts in midsummer that attract bees from far and wide, small round nutlets as seeds and yellow fall color.