Basswood

Tilia americana L.

light
Sun–part
water
Medium
tall
21 m
wide
14 m

Malvaceae

Also called American basswood, American linden, American Lime, American Linden, American Basswood

Formerly Tilia alabamensis, Tilia apposita, Tilia ashei, Tilia australis, and 39 more

When it flowers

Not known yet in the tropics: too few flowering observations to read a season from.

Read from iNaturalist photographs of it in flower. A month counts at 50% of the best month's flowering share (smoothed over three months) and 10% of its flowering count, from at least 100 flowering observations in the band.

PetsNC State Extension lists it as non-toxic to dogs, cats and horses (28 Oct 2026)
PeopleNo safety information yet

If a child, a pet or anyone may have eaten a plant, contact a doctor or vet straight away, or call the National Poisons Information Centre (AIIMS, New Delhi) on 1800 116 117, free and open 24 hours.

Something wrong with it?

About it

Grows as
TreeKew's checklist, not yet checked
Climate
TemperateKew's checklist, not yet checked
Wild in
C. & E. Canada to MexicoKew's checklist, not yet checked
Light
Full sun to part shade (3 h or more)Read from NC State Extension, one source
Height
18 m to 24 mRead from NC State Extension, one source
Spread
9.1 m to 18 mRead from NC State Extension, one source
Water
Average: moist, well drainedRead from NC State Extension, one source
Flowers
Cream, yellowRead from NC State Extension, one source
Coldest it survives
-40 °C (USDA zone 3a)Read from NC State Extension, one source

Not known yet: heat, hottest it survives.

In other languages (12)

root
TILAME, O:osä’, ᎢᏓᎭ
Spanish
tilo americano
French
tilleul d'Amérique
Ojibwa
wiigibiish, asigobaami-mazinichigan, wiigobimizh
Czech
lípa americká
Estonian
ameerika pärn
Russian
Липа американская
German
Amerikanische Linde
Polish
Lipa amerykańska
Japanese
アメリカシナノキ
Chinese
美洲椴樹, 美洲椴
Chinese (China)
美洲椴木

Where this comes from

A fact “checked by a majority of its sources” was settled by a vote of the pages it was read from, not by a person reading it; one marked “one source” rests on that page alone. Anything else not marked checked has not been checked yet. Where nothing is known, the page says so rather than guess.