It is a deciduous tree, native to much of continental Europe as well as southwestern Great Britain, growing on lime-rich soils.

[2] The name "lime", possibly a corruption of "line" originally from "lind", has been in use for centuries and also attaches to other species of Tilia.

[4] Tilia platyphyllos is a narrowly domed tree with a moderate growth rate, and can eventually attain a height of 40 metres (130 ft).

They are ovate to cordate, mid to dark green above and below, with white downy hair on the underside, particularly along the veins, tapering into a mucronate tip.

Tilia platyphyllos is widely planted throughout the temperate world as an ornamental tree in parks and city streets.

Bast and honey, which were historically the main products of Tilia, may have been an important factor in the spread of the species and its status as a typical agroforestry tree in the Middle Ages.

[11] The wood is burned to charcoal and ingested for intestinal disorders and used topically for edema or infection, such as cellulitis or of the lower leg.