Tilia americana

Scientific name: Tilia americana

Common name: American Basswood

Native: Yes

Native range: Native to the northeastern and midwestern United States [1,2,3,4].

Distribution in North America: Click to view the USDA Plants Database page for T. americana.

USDA Zones: 3-8 [3]

Maximum age: May live up to 200 years or longer [4].

Ecology: It is susceptible to the linden aphid, an invasive aphid that likely hitched a ride with cultivated European lindens, such as Tilia euchlora [6,7]. The presence of aphids on its leave attracts ladybugs, voracious aphid predators [7]. The seeds are eaten by small mammals and birds, while deer browse the foliage [1,2,4]. Its flowers are an important source of nectar for honeybees [2]. It hosts a number of native butterflies and moths, including swallowtails (Papilio spp.) and several large, saturniid moths such as the cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia) [8].

Ethnobotany: American basswood is a common feature of plantings along city streets, admired for its stature and abundant, fragrant flowers [1,2,4,6]. Indigenous American groups use it for a variety of medicinal purposes, as well as a source of fiber for cordage [5]. Its sap is sugary and can be boiled into syrup [1,2].