The Bass wood or Linden Tree 61 



Tiers of leaves on the linden tree. The twigs and 

 leaves of the linden grow only in a horizontal direction, 

 not reaching up toward the branches above or down 

 toward those beneath. This arrangement gives open 

 spaces between the branches so that the sun can shine 

 far in along each branch toward the heart of the tree. 

 Each branch is able, therefore, to expose a flat layer of 

 leaves to the light without having them overgrown and 

 shaded by the branch above, and a linden tree shows 

 tier after tier of leaves held out by the branches to the 

 light. 



Is there room to expose more leaves to the light by 

 this arrangement, or by placing the leaves in a layer 

 around the outside of the crown? What trees do you 

 know besides the linden that have their leaves disposed 

 in tiers? Do you know any trees that have their 

 branches in circles with open spaces between the circles ? 



