Lindens, or basswoods, are deciduous trees that have large winter buds with few scales. Terminal buds are absent. Leaves are alternate with toothed leaf margins and usually have cordate leaf bases. Flowers are perfect and fragrant. The fruit is distinctive. The clusters of nutlike fruits have a wing adpressed to the pedicel of the fruit cluster.
| I. | Leaves are 4—7 inches (10—18 cm) long and glossy green above with close, thick, and white or sometimes brown tomentum beneath. Twigs are red or yellowish-brown and glabrous. Flowers are yellow and borne in July. | |
| Tilia heterophylla–Bee Tree Linden | ||
| II. | Leaves are without thick tomentum beneath the leaf. Leaves are glabrous on veins beneath. | |
| A. | Leaves are 31/4—51/4 inches (81/2—14 cm) long. Leaves are glabrous except for axillary tufts of hairs beneath. Twigs are green to red and glabrous. Flowers are yellow and bloom in July. | |
| Tilia americana–American Linden (Basswood) | ||
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AA. |
Leaves are 11/4—21/2 inches (3—6 cm) long. Foliage is glabrous and shiny above and is glabrous beneath as well. Flowers are yellowish-white and open in July. |
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| Tilia cordata–Littleleaf Linden | ||
American Linden (Basswood)–Tilia americana
The American linden is found in Canada from New Brunswick to Manitoba, southward to Georgia and Texas, and is common throughout Ohio. Rich, moist bottom lands and hillsides are its favorite haunts. It reaches a height of 70—80 feet and sprouts freely. The suckers can serve as an identification feature in the woods. It is a handsome shade tree, transplants easily, grows rapidly, and produces useful wood.
The leaves are simple, alternate, roundish and 31/4—51/4 inches (8—13 cm) long. Foliage is firm in texture, toothed along the margin, and unequally heart-shaped at the base. Leaves are glabrous or have tufts of rusty hair in axils of veins. Leaves lack the thick tomentum beneath the leaf that characterizes the white linden.
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| American Linden (Basswood) |
The bark on young stems is smooth and dark gray. On older trunks it becomes thick and clearly furrowed. The twigs are glabrous, shiny, rather stout, often zigzagged, and green to red in color. The buds are egg-shaped, two-ranked, stout, blunt-pointed, and usually deep red with three visible bud scales. Terminal buds are absent.
Flowers are perfect, fragrant, and borne in cymes of five to 20. Flowers are yellow and bloom in July. Honeybees are attracted in numbers and may be a concern for some. The axillary peduncle of flowers and fruit are united to a strap-shaped, short-stalked, leaflike bract that allows the seed to be carried by the wind in a helicopter-like fashion. The winged fruit is unique to lindens. The fruits themselves are nutlike berries about the size of a pea and often persist on the tree far into winter.
This is a valuable timber tree. The wood is soft and easily worked. The light-colored wood takes stain well. Lindens are a good source of nectar for honeybees. The honey is especially prized. American linden is valuable as a wildlife tree with hollows in mature trees serving as homes to a variety of wildlife.
Littleleaf Linden–Tilia cordata
Littleleaf linden is a smaller tree than the other lindens listed here. This European introduction has a rather formal, round-shaped head. Littleleaf linden is planted in parks, streets, and lawns for ornamental purposes. This is one of the best medium-sized ornamental trees that reaches a height of 50—60 feet.
The foliage is decidedly smaller than American linden and is broader than it is long. Leaves are 11/4—21/2 inches (3—6 cm) long. The color of leaves is dark green above and paler green beneath. The leaf shape is rounded with a heart-shaped base, sharply pointed leaf tips, and finely toothed margins. Foliage is glabrous and shiny on both sides of the leaf.
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| Littleleaf Linden |
Flowers are perfect and fragrant. Flowers are creamy yellow and bloom in July. The axillary peduncle of flowers and fruit are united to a strap-shaped, short-stalked, leaflike bract that allows the seed to be carried by the wind in a helicopter-like fashion. The winged fruit is unique to lindens. The fruits themselves are nutlike.
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| White Basswood (Bee Tree Linden) | ||
Lindens are deciduous trees that have large winter buds with few scales. Terminal buds are absent. Twigs are a soft yellow-brown during the winter.
Wood is soft and weak. Nectar produces the finest honey in Europe by some accounts. Bees are attracted in large numbers and may be a threat to individuals who are sensitive to bee stings.
White Basswood (Bee Tree Linden)–Tilia heterophylla
White basswood is a tree quite similar to American linden with larger leaves and smooth, reddish-brown or dark yellow bark on twigs and branches. It is more southerly in distribution than the American linden and is confined to the southern part of state in the tier of counties bordering the Ohio River. Rich, moist bottom lands and hillsides are its favorite homes. It reaches heights of 70—80 feet and sprouts freely. The suckers can be used as an identification feature in the woods. It is a handsome shade tree, transplants easily, grows rapidly, and produces useful wood.
The simple leaves are 4—7 inches (10—18 cm) long and glossy green above. The leaves are larger than other lindens. The under surfaces of the leaves are covered with a downy, white (sometimes brown) fuzz or a cotton-like mass of hair.
Twigs are red or yellowish-brown and glabrous. Winter buds have only three scales showing. Terminal buds are absent.
Perfect, fragrant flowers are yellow and borne in cymes. The flowers in July are attractive to bees and should be avoided by people who are sensitive to bee stings. The nectar is an excellent source of honey. The axillary peduncle of flowers and fruit are united to a strap-shaped, short-stalked, leaflike bract that allows the seed to be carried by the wind in a helicopter-like fashion. The winged fruit is unique to lindens. The brown fruits themselves are nutlike.
Wood is soft, not strong, and light-colored. It is easily worked in cabinetry. Wounds often lead to cavities in the tree and homes for wildlife.