120 LANDSCAPE GARDENING. 



The American lime, or basswood, [Tilia Americana,) is 

 the most robust tree of the genus, and produces much more 

 vigorous shoots than the European species. It prefers a deep 

 and fertile soil, where the trunk grows remarkably straight, 

 and the branches form a handsome, well-rounded summit. 

 The flowers are borne on long stalks, and are pendulous 

 from the branches. The leaves are large, heart-shaped, finely 

 cut on the margin, and terminated by a point at the extremity. 

 The fruits, which ripen in autumn, are like small peas, round 

 and grayish. 



The White lime, ( T. alba,) is rare in the eastern states, but 

 common in Pennsylvania and the states south of it. It is 

 not a tree of the largest size, but its flowers are the finest of 

 our native sorts. The leaves are also very large, deep green 

 on the upper surface, and white below ; they are more ob- 

 liquely heart-shaped than those of the common basswood. 

 The young branches are covered with a smooth silvery bark. 

 This species is very common on the Susquehannah River. 



The Downy lime tree. (T. jmhescens.) The under side 

 of the leaves, and the fruits of this species, are, as its name 

 denotes, covered with a short down. Its flowers are nearly 

 white; the serratures of the leaves wider apart, and the base 

 of the leaf obliquely truncated. It is a handsome large tree, 

 a native of Florida, though hardy enough, as experience 

 proves, to bear our northern winters. 



The European lime, ( T. Europma,) is distinguished from 

 the American sorts, by its smaller and more regularly cordate 

 and rounded leaves. Unlike our native species, the flowers 

 are not furnished with inner scale-like petals. The foliage 

 is rather deeper in hue than the native sorts, and the branches 

 of the head rather more regular in form and disposition. 

 There are two pretty varieties of the English lime which are 

 well known in this country, viz: the Red-barked or corallina, 

 [var. rubra,) with red branches ; and the Golden-barked, [var. 

 aiirea,) with handsome yellow branches. These trees are 

 peculiarly beautiful in winter, when a few of them mingled 

 with other deciduous trees make a pleasing variety of colour- 



