Tilia americana

American basswood is one of the great shade and honey trees of eastern North America, a fast, stately deciduous tree with large, heart-shaped, softly toothed leaves and a broad, rounded, generous crown. Tilia americana has been cherished by Indigenous peoples, European settlers, and naturalists alike, and goes by a string of names: linden, bee tree, and lime, though the tree is no relation to the citrus lime. In late spring and early summer, hanging clusters of pale yellow, sweetly fragrant flowers open and hum with bees.

That fragrance is the heart of the tree's fame. Basswood is one of the finest honey trees in the world, the nectar-rich flowers yielding a light, floral basswood honey prized by beekeepers, while the flowers and young leaves are edible and the flowers make a classic calming tea. The soft, even, easily worked wood, lightest of the North American hardwoods, has long been the carver's and instrument-maker's choice, and the strong, flexible inner bark, the bast that gives basswood its name, was twisted by Indigenous peoples into rope, cord, mats, and cloth.

In herbal tradition the linden flowers carry a gentle reputation. A tea of the fresh or dried blossoms has long been taken across Europe as a calming, sleep-easing remedy and for colds, fevers, headaches, and nervous digestion, and Native peoples brewed the inner bark for lung and stomach complaints. The flowers must be gathered fresh, since older blossoms are said to turn narcotic, and the tea is best enjoyed in moderation.

In the landscape, plant American basswood as a large shade tree for a park, a big lawn, a street, or a woodland edge, in full sun to part shade and moist, well-drained soil. The dense canopy shelters birds and small mammals, the nutlet fruits feed wildlife, and the summer bloom feeds every bee for miles. Give room for a broad, long-lived tree, and site where the fragrance and the hum can be enjoyed on a warm June evening.