‘Swedish Upright’ Littleleaf Linden
Tilia cordata ‘Swedish Upright’

- Accession Number
- The alpha-numeric value assigned to a plant when it is added to the living collection as a way of identifying it.
- Accession Date
- The year the plant’s accession number was assigned.
- Common Name
- The non-scientific name for the plant.
- Scientific Name
- The scientific name describes the species of an organism. The first word is the plant's scientific genus and the second is the specific epithet. This two-word binomial is sometimes followed by other taxonomic descriptors, including subspecies (denoted by "ssp."), variety (denoted by "var."), form (denoted by "f." or "forma"), and cultivar (denoted by single quotation marks).
- Plant Family
- The family to which the plant belongs.
- Propagation Material
- The first part (material code) describes the material used to create the plant. The most common codes are "SD" (seed), "EX" (existing plant), "PT" (plant), "CT" (cutting), "SC" (scion), "SG" (seedling), and "GR" (graft). The second part describes the lineage the plant is derived from. The last part describes the year of propagation.
- Collection Data
- The first part indicates provenance (place or source of origin) using a letter code ("W" = wild, "G" = garden, "Z" = indirect wild, "U" = uncertain). The second part lists the plant source. For wild-collected material, the collector, collection number, and country are given.
- Location
- The location of the plant on the landscape.
A tree’s form can be a trait that makes it worth growing, like this tall and narrow linden cultivar.
In 1906, the Arboretum accessioned a littleleaf linden, Tilia cordata, that staff taxonomist Alfred Rehder acquired from Sweden. After growing in a nursery on Peters Hill for a few years, the grafted plant was transplanted into its current location near the summit of Peters Hill—an area that a 1927 map showed was reserved for ‘rare plants’. While there were no notes in the initial accession record on why the Arboretum should cultivate it, or even where in Sweden Rehder picked it up, within a few decades its value as a rarity became apparent. By 1950, Donald Wyman (horticulturist in charge of the collections) observed how the tree had a slender and svelte form, and in 1960 a photograph of the tree graced the cover of American Nurseryman, accompanying an article Wyman wrote within the pages. Although a cultivar name hadn’t been proposed at that time, Wyman lauded its praise and how the tree resembled a narrow pin oak (Quercus palustris) , with lower branches drooping down and upper ones ascending.
The clone was officially given a name in 1963, a reference to its origins and to its form: Tilia cordata ‘Swedish Upright’. At the time, the tree was 35 feet tall and just 15 feet wide. Because of its narrow habit, and the species general ability to withstand urban conditions (littleleaf linden is a very common street tree), the cultivar is an ideal candidate for challenging sites where there is little room to grow outward. It also is a fantastic accent or specimen tree to nestle into a landscape setting.
The original has not grown much over the past 60 years, approaching about 45 feet in height and almost 20 feet at its widest point. It still maintains its skinny character, as do a number of younger clones that were propagated from it that are growing in the Arboretum’s collections.
Viewing this plant in-person? Look for these defining characteristics:
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Living Specimens
Plant ID | Accession Date | Received As | Origin | Source |
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