basswood
Tilia americana
The inner bark, or 'bast', of the basswood contains incredibly strong fibers that Indigenous peoples and early settlers used to weave high-quality ropes, mats, and baskets.
- Scientific name
- Tilia americana
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Malvales › Malvaceae › Tilia
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Rich, moist soils of deciduous and mixed forests, often found along river valleys and slopes.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis via sunlight, water, and soil nutrients).
- Range
- Eastern North America, Northeastern United States, Southeastern Canada
- Size
- Height of 20 to 37 meters (65 to 120 feet) with a trunk diameter up to 1.5 meters.
- Lifespan
- 100 to 200 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Defoliation by invasive spongy moths, overbrowsing of young saplings by overpopulated white-tailed deer, and habitat fragmentation.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless and safe to approach. You can enjoy the shade of its massive canopy and the sweet scent of its flowers in midsummer. Be mindful of the high volume of bees and other pollinators buzzing around blooming trees; if stung, scrape away the stinger, wash the area, and seek medical attention if you experience an allergic reaction.
Tilia americana is a species of tree in the Malvaceae family , native to eastern North America, from southeast Manitoba east to New Brunswick, southwest to northeast Oklahoma, and southeast to South Carolina, and west along the Niobrara River to Cherry County, Nebraska. Common names include American basswood and American linden . The tree was introduced to the UK in 1752, but has never prospered there, being prone to dieback.
Photo: Douglas Goldman, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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