AMERICAN BASSWOOD

or LINDEN

AMERICAN BASSWOOD or Linden (Tilia americana)

American basswood may grow to a height of 50-70 feet and a diameter of 2-3 feet. The branches are slender, somewhat pendulous, comparatively small and numerus, forming a broad and rounded head.

The bark on the trunk of old trees is deeply and irregularly furrowed. On young trees, it is smooth or slighly fissured and has a grayish appearance.

The leaves are alternate, broadly egg-shaped to heart-shaped in outline, toothed, upper surface dark green; lower, yellow-green and shiny, 5-6 inches long. The leaf base is uneven.

The flowers are greenish yellow, borne on a slender stalk which is attached to a rather long, yellowish, leaf-like bract. They are fragrant, contain an abundance of nectar and open in July.

The fruit is clustered, spherical, covered with short buff-colored hairs, woody, and is about as large as a pea. It remains attached to the leaf-like bract when it falls.

The wood is light, soft, and easily worked. It is used for mouldings, yardsticks, oars, veneer, pattern stock, excelsior, and pulp. Bees make an excellent grade of honey from the flowers. The young fruit and flowers ground into a paste make an excellent substitute for chocolate.

The European Linden (Tilia europaea) and Little-leaf Linden (Tilia cordata) are commonly planted as shade trees. They are smaller than our native species, with smaller leaves.