Naturally very few of these turned out, and while I intensely snapped photos of the blossoms, ignoring the rain, I got a few askance looks from passersby, briefly noting and cataloguing me as another Eccentric New Yorker.
No matter. They're pretty flowers aren't they? The flower structure you're looking at is called a cyme. Cymes are stems from which several small flowers branch. You can also see that the stamens are the showiest part of the flower. The large green tongue above the cymes is a bract.
This is my third post on Tilia and I've yet to really get into the etymology of the name. But, I will save that for a rainy day (as, um, it's not raining right now, right at this second).
3 comments:
You go girl! I've given up worrying if people find me eccentric...I love Tilia..there are some lining a village green in a neighbouring village and this time of year the scent is heavenly.
The Lindens in CO smell stinky! and the Miller Moths love them. Moths. Ugh. We've had lots of rain this June, too, which is completely unusual but welcome because of the draught. Lately I've been smelling Sweet Tarts in the evening. Not sure which tree, but it might be Catalpa. Do you have those in NY?
MYCG: thanks!!
HB:indeed we do have northern catalpa (C. speciosa, not bignoides, or southern catalpa) though I have never noticed a heavy scent. The tilias are fragrant though and about as 'controversial' as boxwood. Some love the scent, some hate it! Scent may differ among T. cordata, T. tomentosa, T. americana & T. heterophylla, too. I lean towards MECG and like the scent, personally!
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