Handbook of TbEiES of the Noetheen States ah'd Cai^ada. 351 



The Basswood is one of the most abundant 

 and useful trees of eastern United States and 

 Canada. In forest growth it has been known 

 to attain the height of 125 ft. with straight 

 columnar trunk 3 to 4 ft. or more in diameter. 

 When growing apart from other trees it de- 

 velops a full ovoid or rounded top very un- 

 brageous on account of its many branches and 

 large leaves. It inhabits preferably rich moist 

 but well drained slopes and bottom-lands, and 

 is a handsome and favorite tree at all seasons 

 of the year. It is especially so in midsummer 

 when it dangles amid its ample foliage numer- 

 ous clusters of yellow fragrant flowers, which 

 perfume the atmosphere for some distance 

 about the tree and offer an abundance of nec- 

 tar from which the honey bees make their 

 choicest honej^ In autumn we see in the Bass- 

 wood a unique plan of nature to aid in the 

 scattering of its seeds. Each cluster of a half 

 dozen or so seeds is furnished with a special 

 seed-leaf, which serves as a parachute and so 

 retards their fall that the wind has an op- 

 portunity to carry them some distance away 

 before striking the ground. 



The wood is light, a cu. ft. weighing 28.20 

 lbs., soft and tough and largely used for fur- 

 niture, carriage-building, wooden ware, etc.i 

 The fibrous inner bark furnishes valuable bast 

 for mats, cordage, etc. 



Leaves obliquely oval. .5-10 in. long, cordate at 

 base, abruptly acuminate, sharply glandular- 

 serrate, thick, glabrous, dull dark green above, 

 paler and glabrous or hairy in tbe axils of the 

 veins beneath. Flowers with pedunculate bract 

 ^-~t in. long, cymes drooping ; sepals pubescent ; 

 petals slightly longer than the sepals and the 

 scales. Frtiit globose-oblong, 1/3-% in. in diameter, 

 rufous-tomeutose.- 



1. A. W., I, 3. 



2. For genus see pp. It8-44i). 



