TILIACEAE 
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, downy, 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.—tTerminal bud absent; lateral buds ovoid, 
acute, often lopsided, smooth, dark red, % inch long. 
BARK.—Twigs smooth, reddish 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. 
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