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Basswood (Tilia americana)

Common Name: Basswood
Scientific Name: Tilia americana
Other Names:

Leaf: Simple, alternate; large, round, lopsided; sharply toothed; 12-16 cm (5-6 inches) long; heart-shaped; upper side dark green; underside yellowish green, fuzzy and junctions of yellow veins.
Flower: Small, 5-petalled, creamy yellow; fragrant; full of nector; in clusters dangling from mid-point of yellowish green leaf-like appendage 6-12 cm (2-4 inches) long; after leaves fully grown
Fruit: Nearly round, pea-sized, hard, woody, downy, beige gray; with tiny nipple at bottom; in small clusters hanging from middle of the appendage; begin flowering at 15 years
Twig: Somewhat stout, smooth; reddish or greenish brown; often covered with gray film; buds plump, rusty or rosy red, slightly pointed, lopsided, glossy
Bark: on younger trees, thin, smooth, greenish gray; on older trees, dark gray brown, deeply fissured, with flat-topped ridges
Wood: One of our softest, lightest hardwoods, valued for use in hand carving; heartwood beige with faint reddish or yellowish tinge; sapwood creamy white; annual growth rings indistinct

Facts About this Tree:
1. Some native tribes carved ritual masks on living trees, then split the masks away to hollow and dry the inside. If the tree survived, the mask was believed to have supernatural powers.
2. Basswood has been used for interior trim, veneer, plywood, cabinets, furniture, musical instruments, measuring sticks and pulp and paper.
3. The flowers are used in beauty products.

Lat, Long: 43.75233, -79.65268
Diameter (DBH): 19.5 cm
Last Year Modified: 2015
Carbon Stored in this Tree: 54.551 kg of C
Equivalent CO2: 200.001 kg of C

Find more trees in Claireville Conservation Area

Reference
1. Blouin, Glen. 2001. An Eclectic Guide to Trees East of the Rockies. Erin, ON. Boston Mills Press
2. Linda Kershaw. 2001. Trees of Ontario. Edmonton, AB Canada. Lone Pine Publishing
3. Photo Credit: Kathryn Chin, Steven J. Baskauf, Donald Cameron, Arieh Tal, Daniel J. Kim.

Copyright 2015Association for Canadian Educational Resources