AMERICAN LINDEN; BASSWOOD (Tilia Americana, Linn.) 

 75 to 125 feet. Tall tree with round or irregular head oi 

 abundant foliage; trunk stout. Dark brown, scaly, with 

 deep furrows, inner layer tough. Wood soft, fine-grained, free 

 from knots, hard to split, used by wood-carvers, and for fur- 

 niture, to be veneered, cooperage, shoe soles, charcoal, fuel. 

 Buds plump, red, leaves broad, heart-shaped, saw-toothed, 

 oblique at base, with prominent veins, branching mainly on 

 the side next to the leaf stem. Length of leaf 5 to 8 inches. 

 Flowers June and July, small, perfect, creamy, fragrant, in 

 cluster on stem with green blade. Fruit woody balls contain- 

 ing 2 or 3 seeds each, clustered on stem winged for flight by the 

 thin blade. Dist.: New Brunswick to Dakota; south to 

 Alabama and Texas, following the highland regions. Pre- 

 ferred habitat, moist, rich woodlands. Planted for shade and 

 for bee pasture. 



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