See Map: Z, 24-26 
WHITE BASSWOOD 
Tilia heterophylla 
White basswood differs so slightly from 
its fellow Missouri native, the more 
W>X op widespread and better-known American 
AY) 4 >. Es an basswood or American linden (Tilia 
\ americana), that the two are interpretable 
) as belonging to the same species. The 
SY ey, oe white basswood has a more southern 
‘ : distribution (Pennsylvania to Missouri 
en and Florida as opposed to virtually the 
] entire northeastern U.S. for the Ameri- 
can basswood). Also, the white bass- 
wood has distinctively fuzzy leaf 
undersides. 
Both species belong to the genus 
Tilia, which is made up of some 30 species in North America, Europe, and 
Asia. Among their notable features, tilias have a unique helicopter-type 
system of fruit dispersal. The pea-sized fruits are alone or clustered at the 
end of a long, thin stalk, which is attached to a tongue-shaped specialized 
leaf (a bract) quite unlike the other foliage. The fruit(s) + stalk + bract 
drop away from the tree and twirl to the ground. 
Known variously as basswoods, lindens, or limes (in Britain), tilias are 
highly useful, with most of the uses having been discovered multiple 
times in multiple places. The uniform and easily worked wood is valu- 
Winter Summer 
Es 
