While these flowers are heady and aromatic and the bees love them, interestingly this is not how they propagate. They spread out via their root system, which can be quite problematic for the sidewalks of Buenos Aires, and most notably, the nearby city of La Plata, where these trees dominate the landscape so much, the city is known as Tilo City.
These beautiful trees provide wonderful shade in the summer as you walk down the streets due to their large leaves. They are mostly planted in the sidewalks and not so much in the plazas.
They also provide medicinal benefits via the wood, leaves, flowers, and fruits. Tilo is a common tea you can buy here in Argentina and is mostly used to relax.
In English, the tree is mostly known as linden, but also Tilia and Lime tree, although it has nothing to do with the lime fruit.
As always with the trees in Buenos Aires, don't forget to look up, you just might be surprised by what you find.
Further Reading:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilia
- http://aquimequedo.com.br/2013/09/07/primavera-em-buenos-aires-tempo-de-tilos/
- http://www.lanacion.com.ar/1334201-diferentes-especies-de-tilo
- http://www.misabueso.com/salud/Tilo