Tiliaceae () is a family of flowering plants. It is not a part of the APG, APG II and APG III classifications, being sunk in Malvaceae mostly as the subfamilies Tilioideae, Brownlowioideae and Grewioideae, but has an extensive historical record of use.

All through its existence the family has had a very lively history, with various authors taking very different views on what should be part of this family. As a result, it is recommended when this name is encountered to check what the author means.

However, in the northern temperate regions the name is unambiguous as the only representative is Tilia, the lime or linden.

APG II system The APG II system, does not recognise this as a family but submerges it in the Malvaceae sensu lato, which unites the four families Bombacaceae, Malvaceae sensu stricto, Sterculiaceae and Tiliaceae. Modern botanical taxonomy, such as the relevant volume in the Kubitzki series which conforms to APG, treats most of the plants that traditionally constitute the family (see above) in the subfamilies Tilioideae, Brownlowioideae, and Grewioideae within this extended family Malvaceae sensu lato. Cladistically, the traditional family Tiliaceae is polyphyletic.

de Candolle system In the de Candolle system the circumscription of the family was: family Tiliaceae genus I. Sparmannia [sic: now Sparrmannia] genus II. Abatia genus III. Heliocarpus genus IV. Antichorus genus V. Corchorus genus VI. Honckenya [sic, see Clappertonia] genus VII. Triumfetta genus VIII. Grewia genus IX. Columbia [sic, now Colona] genus X. Tilia genus XI. Diplophractum genus XII. Muntingia genus XIII. Apeiba genus XIV. Sloanea genus XV. Ablania genus XIV. Gyrostemon genus XVII. Christiana genus XVIII. Alegria genus XIX. Luhea [sic, now: Luehea] genus XX. Vatica genus XXI. Espera genus XXII. Wikstroemia genus XXIII. Berrya

According to APG II system, the current placement of these genera is mostly in the Malvaceae sensu lato, but with Gyrostemon moved to family Gyrostemonaceae, Muntingia to family Muntingiaceae, Sloanea to family Elaeocarpaceae, Vatica to family Dipterocarpaceae and Wikstroemia to family Thymelaeaceae (possibly reduced to a synonym of Daphne). The genus Abatia is assigned to the family Salicaceae sensu lato.

Bentham & Hooker system The family reached perhaps its widest circumscription in the Bentham & Hooker system: family XXXIII Tiliaceae series A. Holopetalae tribus I. Brownlowieae genus 1. Brownlowia genus 2. Pentace genus 3. Diplodiscus genus 4. Pityranthe genus 5. Christiana genus 6. Berrya genus 7. Carpodiptera tribus II. Grewieae genus 8. Grewia genus 9. Columbia [sic, now Colona] genus 10. Diplophractum genus 11. Belotia genus 12. Erinocarpus genus 13. Triumfetta genus 14. Heliocarpus tribus III. Tilieae genus 15. Entelea genus 16. Sparrmannia genus 17. Honckenya [sic, see Clappertonia] genus 18. Corchorus genus 19. Corchoropsis genus 20. Luehea genus 21. Mollia genus 22. Trichospermum genus 23. Muntingia genus 24. Tilia genus 25. Leptonychia genus 26. Schoutenia tribus IV. Apeibeae genus 27. Glypilea genus 28. Apeiba series B. Heteropetalae tribus V. Prockieae genus 29. Prockia genus 30. Hasseltia genus 31. Plagiopteron genus 32? Ropalocarpus tribus VI. Sloanieae genus 33. Vallea genus 34. Sloanea genus 35. Echinocarpus genus 36. Antholoma tribus VII. Elaeocarpeae genus 37. Aristotelia genus 38. Elaeocarpus genus 39. Dubouzetia genus 40. Tricuspidaria

According to APG II system, the current placement of these genera is perhaps mostly in the Malvaceae sensu lato, but with Muntingia moved to family Muntingiaceae, while tribes VI and VII form the core of family Elaeocarpaceae and tribe V has been moved to the family Salicaceae sensu lato.

The Hutchinson system follows the Bentham & Hooker system rather closely.

Cronquist system In the Cronquist system (1981) the family includes some fifty genera, totalling around seven hundred species of trees and shrubs, rarely herbs, with a subcosmopolitan distribution. It may be separated from Malvaceae sensu stricto by the smooth surface of the pollen grains, bilocular anthers, and the stamens free or in bundles (but not monadelphous)

Ancistrocarpus Oliv. Apeiba Aubl. Asterophorum Sprague Berrya Roxb. Brownlowia Roxb. Burretiodendron Rehder Carpodiptera Griseb. Christiana DC. Clappertonia Meisn. Colona Cav. Corchoropsis Siebold & Zucc. Corchorus L. Craigia W.W.Sm. & W.E.Evans Desplatsia Bocq. Dicraspidia Standl. Diplodiscus Turcz. Duboscia Bocquet Eleutherostylis Burret Entelea R.Br. Erinocarpus Nimmo ex J.Graham Glyphaea Hook.f. Goethalsia Pittier Grewia L. Hainania Merr. Heliocarpus L. Hydrogaster Kuhlm. Jarandersonia Kosterm. Luehea Willd. Lueheopsis Burret Microcos L. Mollia Mart. Mortoniodendron Standl. & Steyerm. Neotessmannia Burret Pentace Hassk. Pentaplaris L.O.Williams & Standl. Petenaea Lundell Pityranthe Thwaites Pseudocorchorus Capuron Schoutenia Korth. Sicrea (Pierre) Hallier f. Sparrmannia L.f. Tetralix Griseb. Tilia L. Trichospermum Blume Triumfetta L. Vasivaea Baill. Westphalina A.Robyns & Bamps

External links Tiliaceae in L. Watson and M.J. Dallwitz (1992 onwards) The families of flowering plants: descriptions.