Tilia chinensis Maxim.

Trees to 30 m tall. Branchlets usually brown when dry, glabrous, rarely sparsely pilose or densely tomentose; winter buds big, bud scale glabrous. Petiole 3-8 cm, usually sparsely pilose; leaf blade broadly elliptic or orbicular to ovate-orbicular, (5-)7-13 × (4.5-)6-9 cm, papery, abaxially densely stellate tomentose, adaxially glabrous, basal veins 5-7, lateral veins 7-9 pairs, base usually oblique, cordate, truncate, or rounded, margin serrate, apex acuminate or shortly acuminate. Cymes 1-3-flowered, usually not exceeding bract, shorter than leaves; peduncle hairy. Bracts long band-shaped, 4-9(-12) × 1-2 cm, adnate to peduncle for 2/5-1/2 of length, abaxially hairy, adaxially glabrous, sessile or with stalk to 0.5 cm. Sepals narrowly ovate, 6-7 mm, abaxially stellate hairy, adaxially stellate tomentose or glabrous at central part, margin densely hairy. Petals 8-9 mm, glabrous. Stamens 30-45, in 5 fascicles; staminodes 5, smaller than petals. Ovary 5-angled, gray-yellow tomentose; style glabrous; stigma peltate or capitate. Fruit ellipsoid or globose, prominently 5-angled, 10-14 × 8-9 mm, gray-yellow tomentose; exocarp woody, hard, indehiscent. Fl. Jun-Jul, fr. Aug-Oct. 2n = 164*.

Gansu, Henan, Hubei, Shaanxi, Sichuan, Xizang, Yunnan.

● Forests; 1800-3100(-3900) m.

Tilia chinensis (Chinese linden, Chinese: 椴树) is a species of lime or linden tree that is endemic to China. It flowers in July or August when honey bees collect honey from its flowers. Especially famous is honey taken from the Chinese linden flowers in Changbai Mountain.