686 



The Bassvvoods 



and smooth, or nearly so. The bracts are oblong to narrowly obovate, lo to 13 

 cm. long, 3 to 4 cm. wide, sessile or short-stalked, smooth and glaucous on either 

 surface. The peduncle is smooth, the free portion 2 to 4 cm. long, with from 5 

 to 10 medium-sized flowers; the sepals are narrowly ovate to ovate-lanceolate, 3.5 

 to 4 mm. long; the petals are 5.5 to 7 mm. long; the staminodes are entire, linear- 

 spatulate, slightly shorter than the petals. The fruit is globose. 



3. FLORIDA BASSWOODTiUa floridana Small 



This, the smallest of the American species of Tilia, scarcely exceeds 9 meters 

 in height, with a trunk about 1.5 dm. in diameter. 



The bark is somewhat furrowed and not very thick. The leaves are thin, 



ovate or oval-ovate, 4 to 11 cm. 

 long, 2 to 6 cm. wide, unequally 

 subcordate or truncate at the base, 

 abruptly short taper-pointed at the 

 apex, serrate, the teeth tipped with 

 prominent glands; the upper sur- 

 face is smooth, deep green, the 

 lower glaucous, somewhat hair}-^ 

 when young, glabrous or nearly so 

 at maturity; the petiole is stout, 

 rather short, 2 to 3 cm. long. The 

 bracts are decurrent to within 0.5 

 to 1.5 cm. of the base of the pedun- 

 cle, rather small, 7 to 10 cm. long, 

 I to 2 cm. wide, rounded at the 

 apex, somewhat hairy; the pedun- 

 cle is hairy, the free portion 0.5 to 1.5 cm. long, few- to many-flowered; the sepals 

 are lanceolate to Hnear-lanceolate, 3 to 3.5 mm. long; the petals 4.5 to 5.5 mm. 

 long; the staminodes are almost linear or linear-spatulate, irregularly margined, 

 somewhat shorter than the petals. The fruit is globose, 5 to 6 mm. in diameter, 

 covered with brownish gray hairs. 



A rare species as yet known only from the vicinity of Jacksonville, and in 

 Orange county, Florida. 



Fig. 637. Florida Basswood. 



4. WHITE LINDEN Tilia heterophylla Ventenat 



Also called Bee-tree, Wahoo, Silver- leaved linden, and White basswood, this is 

 a tree slightly smaller than the American hnden, attaining a maximum height of 

 about 30 meters, with a trunk diameter of i to 1.25 m. It grows in rich woods, 

 mostly in mountainous regions, from western New York to Illinois, Tennessee, 

 Alabama, and Florida, reaching its greatest development in the southern Alle- 

 ghanics. 



