TILIACEAEi 



Basswood 



Tilia americana, L. 



HABIT. A tree usually 60-70 feet high, with a tall, straight 

 trunk 2-4 feet in diameter; numerous slender branches form a 

 dense, ovoid or rounded crown. 



LEAVES. Alternate, simple, 5-6 inches long, 3-4 inches 

 broad; obliquely heart-shaped; coarsely serrate; thick and firm; 

 glabrous, dull dark green above, paler beneath; petioles slender, 

 1-2 inches long. 



FLOWERS. June-July, after the leaves; perfect, regular; 

 yellowish white, down)'', fragrant ; borne on slender pedicels in 

 loose, drooping cymes, the peduncle attached for half its length 

 to a narrow, oblong, yellowish bract; sepals 5, downy; petals 5, 

 creamy white; stamens numerous, in 5 clusters; ovary 5-celled; 

 stigma 5-lobed. 



FRUIT. October; globose, nut-like, woody, gray, tomen- 

 tose, about the size of peas. 



WINTER-BUDS. Terminal bud absent; lateral buds ovoid, 

 acute, often lopsided, smooth, dark red, J4 i ncn long. 



BARK. Twigs smooth, reddis'h gray, becoming dark gray 

 or brown ; dark gray and smooth on young stems, on old trunks 

 thick, deeply furrowed into broad, scaly ridges. 



WOOD. Light, soft, close-grained, tough, light red-brown, 

 with thick sapwood of nearly the same color. 



DISTRIBUTION. Common in most parts of the Lower 

 Peninsula, frequent in the Upper Peninsula. 



HABITAT. Prefers rich, well-drained, loamy soils. 



NOTES. Rapid in growth. Easily transplanted. Recom- 

 mended for street and ornamental planting. 

 201 



