HORTICULTURE 



March 22, 1919 



AMERICAN TILIAS. 



The basswoods are most interesting 

 and ornamental trees. The European 

 species, some of the American species 

 and a lew Asiatic species have been 

 planted extensively in parks ami 

 gardens for many years. The paper 

 written lately on American Tilias by 

 Dr. C. S. Sargent in the Botanical 

 Gazette, Volume (i6, shows a vast 

 amount of work in the study and in- 

 vestigation of these interesting trees 

 throughout many parts of North 

 America and should stimulate interest 

 in the further study of these trees. 



In Sargent's "Manual of The Trees 

 of North America," published in 1905, 

 six species of basswoods were credited 

 to North America; in his recent paper 

 Dr. Sargent admits twenty-nine forms. 

 that is, fifteen species and fourteen 

 varieties. Ten new species are de- 

 scribed. This is a remarkable addition 

 to this interesting genus in fourteen 

 years' time. A number of the varietal 

 forms described in this paper, Dr. Sar- 

 gent thinks may in time be admitted 

 as species when they are better under- 

 stood. 



The opinions of nurserymen and 

 horticulturists will have to be changed 

 considerably in regard to the proper 

 understanding of several basswoods 

 that have been sold in nurseries. The 

 conception of what has generally been 

 considered the common American 

 Linden, and has been known botan- 

 ically as Tilia Americana, and is now 

 known as T. glabra is altogether 

 different from the old conception, that 

 is to say, a number of different species 

 have been involved in T. glabra (T. 

 Americana). For example in Western 

 New York State, and adjoining states, 

 we have always considered there was 

 one species of basswood, that is the 

 common American basswood, T. glabra 

 (T. Americana). We find out now that 

 another distinct species has been mixed 

 up with this, and Dr. Sargent calls 

 this T. neglecta. It is rather curious 

 that the latter is the prevailing species 

 in Western New York, and T. glabra 

 <T. Americana) is uncommon. This 

 basswood was distinguished by a 

 French botanist many years since from 

 trees cultivated in France. It is quite 

 distinct in the greyish colored leaves 

 underneath, and usually covered more 

 or less thickly with white hairs. 



Frederick Ahrens, who was thirty- 

 oight years ornamental foreman for 

 Ellwanger and Barry, who have lately 

 abandoned the nursery business, tells 

 me that they distinguished this bass- 

 wood (T. neglecta) as the "Grey- 

 barked basswood" in the nursery, and 

 he always preferred it as an excellent 

 stock on which to bud other bass- 



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woods. It was only last year that the 

 writer was aware of this. It is inter- 

 esting to know that this nursery firm 

 distinguished this basswood (Tilia 

 neglecta) many years since for nur- 

 sery purposes. 



I have noticed that T. glabra (T. 

 Americana) is very common in north- 

 ern Ontario, Canada; in fact it is the 

 prevailing species, and T. neglecta is 

 uncommon. T. glabra can be distin- 

 guished by the coarsely toothed leaves 

 green on both sides, and quite smooth 

 beneath. T. glabra (T. Americana) 

 reaches further north than any other 

 basswood. 



Dr. Sargent has changed our ideas 

 of T. heterophylla. We have grown a 

 basswood for many years under this 

 name, and Dr. Sargent calls this T. 

 monticala and describes it as a new 

 species. This is a remarkably handsome 

 tree. The obliquely shaped leaves are 

 very large, often seven to eight inches 

 long, and are covered beneath with 

 white hoary tomentum. It has very 

 showy, large flowers and blooms at 

 Rochester about June 12th. The young 

 branches in winter are bright red. Dr. 

 Sargent says of T. monticola, "with its 

 large leaves snowy white beneath on 

 the lower surface, and drooping grace- 

 fully on their long petioles, and its 

 large flowers, it is the showiest of the 

 American Lindens." 



Whether the true T. heterophylla is 

 in cultivation or not I do not know. 

 T. heterophylla var. Michauxii is said 

 by Dr. Sargent to be indigenous in 

 Western New York. We think that this 

 is probably an error as we have not 

 seen any basswood to fit that descrip- 

 tion in this part of the world. It is 

 interesting to note that Dr. Sargent 

 does not describe any hybrids. This 

 is quite remarkable as the European 

 basswoods are known to hybridize 

 freely. 



Most of the newly described bass- 

 woods are from the southern states, 

 and probably some of them will not 

 prove hardy in the north. It is very 

 desirable that all of the new species 

 and varieties described, will in the 

 near future be introduced to parks and 

 private estates in different parts of the 

 country where the environment will 

 suit them. 



OBITUARY. 



Frank A. Friedley. 

 Frank A. Friedley, well-known flor- 

 ist of Cleveland, Ohio, passed away un- 

 expectedly March loth, after an illness 

 of several days, of bronchitis and 

 quinsy, aged 37 years. .Mr. Friedley 

 was born in New Albany, Ind., and re- 

 moved to Richmond when a boy. He 

 received his first training with E. G. 

 Hill. After leaving Richmond he was 

 employed at Dayton, Ohio, Cincinnati. 

 Joliet, 111., and Springfield, 111., finally 

 locating in Cleveland in 1908. He was 

 a member of the S. A. F. and O. H. 

 American Carnation Society and Cleve- 

 land Florists' Club, besides several 

 fraternal organizations. His widow 

 survives him. 



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W. D. HOWARD 



MILFORD, MASS. 



