American Basswood
Tilia americana
Also known as: American Linden
Fragrant summer flowers are a major nectar source for bees. Heart-shaped leaves; soft straight-grained wood. Young leaves are mild and mucilaginous, good raw in salads or cooked as greens; the fragrant flowers make a traditional calming tea.
- Family
- Malvaceae
- Type
- tree
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 50–80 ft
- Spacing
- 30–50 ft apart
- Light
- sun, part shade, shade
- Soil moisture
- dry, moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- April, May, June, July
- Bloom colors
- yellow
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, songbirds, larval host
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~149 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- specimen
- Native states
- AL, AR, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, VT, WI, WV