The small-leaved lime is widespread throughout most of Europe, extending northwards to Sweden, and eastwards to the Urals. In western and central Europe it occurs in oak forests in lowland and hill country. It also grows as a scattered tree in riverine forests, and is plentiful in scree woods.

The greenish white flowers appear at the end of May after the leaves unfurl. The samaras have red wings before maturation, but, when ripe, they turn entirely brown.

When the yellowish-green flowers appear in July, their heady fragrance spreads far and wide. They are visited by bees, and the tree is thus of importance for honey production. The rounded leaves have rusty hairs in the axils of the veins on the underside. The globose fruit has a smooth, thin shell. Small- leaved lime stands up well to hard pruning, and is highly prized for planting in avenues. The soft, whitish wood is used for making pencils and for woodcarvings. The bast fibres are used in gardening for tying, and for making plaited article.

The large-leaved lime is closely related to the small-leaved lime, and has a similar range of distribution. However, its northern boundary does not extend to the Baltic Sea, and, in the east, it occurs only as far as the western Ukraine. It is most plentiful in hilly country and foothills at elevations of 400 to 700 metres, though the occasional, single tree may be found up to 1000 metres above sea level. It occurs in broad-leaved woods and requires richer and moister soil than the small-leaved lime.

The large-leaved lime grows to a greater height and attains greater dimensions than its relative. Specimens as much as 30 to 33 metres high are not unknown; very old, solitary trees have trunks up to 3 to 4 metres thick. It is said that the large- leaved lime may live longer than a thousand years. For this reason, it is popularly planted on hilltops, or beside isolated homesteads, monuments, or churches, and in parks and avenues. The large-leaved lime flowers some 10 to 14 days sooner than the small-leaved lime, and mixed plantings of the two species prolong the period for bee-feeding to a full month.

In winter, it is easily distinguished by its squat black buds, in summer by the odd- pinnate leaves. The male, female or bisexual flowers, without sepals or petals, appear before the leaves and are pollinated by the wind. The common ash is an important timber tree, and is also planted in parks and evenues. There are several ornamental cultivated varieties, notably F.e. pendula, with a broad crown of pendulous branches.