American Basswood (Tilia americana)

Details: Written by Emily Kauble

Family: Malvaceae

Also known as the American Linden tree.
Native to North America.
Bees and butterflies love the fragrant flowers in the summer.
But these flowers can aggravate allergies in some people.
Basswood trees are low-maintenance and can live to 150 years.

The uneven heart-shaped leaves are distinctive and easy to recognize.
The soft wood is easy to work with, so it is a favorite for wood carvers.
Stump-sprouting: a cut or fallen basswood tree can sprout at the base producing a clump of tall trees around what was the original tree.

Additional references:

http://homeguides.sfgate.com/basswood-trees

http://www.wood-database.com/basswood/

https://plants.usda.gov/plantguide/pdf/cs_tiama.pdf

http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=88

http://forestry.about.com/od/silviculture/p/basswood.htm

woods

LEARN MORE about the Woods on the Ariel-Foundation Park main site!

Credits

A special thanks to the students of the Field Botany class at Mount Vernon Nazarene University who wrote the reports on the various kinds of trees found in The Woods. These students include Chandler Cook, Grace Hall, Emily Kauble, Keith Kitchen, Madison Lotz, Kevin Maurer, Christina Norcross, Caroline Phillips, Dakoda Ramsey, Jacob Schott, Emily Smith, and Katelyn Stone.

All photos linked in this Learning Station courtesy of D. Mosher, Mount Vernon Nazarene University.

Appendix I

Plant surveys were done by the Field Botany class at Mount Vernon Nazarene University during the fall semester of 2016. A summary of the class surveys for woody plants and herbaceous plants is available.