266 ECONOAIIC BOTANY OF ALABAMA 



TILIACEAE.ljNDEN Family. 



About 40 genera and 3T5 species, mostly trees, and mostly in 

 the tropics of the southern hemisphere. Some are cultivated for 

 ornament or shade, and some yield lumber, fiber, honey, etc. 

 TILIA, Linnaeus. Lin, Linden, Basswood. 



j\Iedium-sized to large trees, with obliquely heart-shaped 

 toothed deciduous leaves, fragrant white flowers in early summer, 

 and soft easily worked wood. This genus is widely distributed in 

 Europe, Asia and North America, but the number of species is at 

 present very uncertain. Several alleged distinct North American 

 species and varieties have been described in the last 25 years, but 

 they all have about the same wood, bark, flowers, fruit and habitat, 

 and the distinctions are based mostly on slight differences in the 

 size and pubescence of the leaves and the pubescence of the sum- 

 mer shoots, so that there is practically no way of identifying the 

 species in winter (as can be done with most of our other trees). 

 The cuts used to illustrate the genus in recent manuals are much 

 more alike than those of Crataegus, so much so indeed that they 

 could easily be taken for all one species. 



Several species are cultivated for shade trees. The wood is 

 much like that of yellow ])oplar, and is used in other states for 

 boxes and crates, mill-work, woodenware and novelties, furniture 

 and fixtures, picture frames and molding, excelsior, piano keys, 

 baskets, bread-boards, ironing boards, and many other purposes. 

 The bark is i)retty tough, and according to Wailes so much of it 

 was being used for ropes in Mississippi about the middle of last 

 century as to threaten the extermination of the trees. The flowers 

 are an important source of honey. 



References : Brush 3, Bush, Sargent 2. 



Dr. Mohr reported two species of Tilia from Alal)ama, but 

 the latest monographic treatments credit us with eight or ten. For 

 all practical puii)oses however, they may as well be treated as one 

 for the present, as they are not separated in my field notes. 



Our lindens grow in rich woods, especially on limestone and 

 near rivers, where they are pretty well protected from fire. They 

 are nowhere abundant, and it is unusual to find more than one 

 tree to the acre. Unlike some genera which have given employ- 



