Practical
Plants

Tilia americana

American Basswood

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Tiliaceae
Genus
Tilia
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Growth rate
moderate
Height
25 m
Spread
12 m
Fertility
Bees
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Bees

Uses

Toxicity

Toxicity warning. The historical record reports a hazard for this plant. Do not use it to decide which parts are safe to eat or use medicinally.

Frequent consumption of the tea made from the flowers may cause heart damage[13].

Edible uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked[18]. A mild flavour and a tender but mucilaginous texture, they are very nice in salads[K]. The leaves can be cooked as greens[18]. Sap - obtained from next to the bark and used as a refreshing drink[1][4][6]. It can also be concentrated into a syrup and used as a sweetener[7]. Flowers - raw. They can be added to salads[7]. The flowers are used as a tea substitute. They are sweet and fragrant[7]. A very good chocolate substitute is made from a paste of the ground fruits and flowers[10][1][6][7]. Trials on marketing the product failed because the paste decomposes readily[10].

Product or use
Chocolate
Plant part
Flowers
Plant part
Leaves
Plant part
Sap
Product or use
Sweetener
Product or use
Tea

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

A tea made from the inner bark is applied to burns - it soothes and softens the skin[12]. It is taken internally in the treatment of lung complaints, dysentery, heart burn and weak stomach[13][18]. The bark is diuretic[18]. An infusion has been taken to promote urination[18]. A decoction of the bark, mixed with cornmeal, has been used as a poultice to draw out boils[13][18]. A tea made from the fresh or dried flowers is antispasmodic, diaphoretic and sedative[14]. It is used in the treatment of hypertension, hardening of the arteries, digestive complaints associated with anxiety, feverish colds, respiratory catarrh, migraine etc[17]. Lime flowers are said to develop narcotic properties as they age and so they should only be harvested when freshly opened[17]. An infusion of the leaves has been used as an eyewash[18]. A poultice of the leaves has been used in the treatment of burns and scalds, broken bones and swollen areas[18]. A tea or tincture made from the leaves, flowers and buds has traditionally been used for nervous headaches, restlessness and painful digestion[13]. Use with caution, see notes above on toxicity. A decoction of the roots and the bark has been taken in the treatment of internal haemorrhaging[18]. A decoction of the roots has been used as a vermifuge to rid the body of worms[18].

Product or use
Antispasmodic
Product or use
Demulcent
Product or use
Diaphoretic
Product or use
Diuretic
Product or use
Ophthalmic
Product or use
Poultice
Product or use
Sedative
Product or use
Vermifuge

Material uses

A tough fibre is obtained from the inner bark[19][15]. The bark is soaked in water then boiled. It is then rubbed on a stick to separate the fibres which can then be used for making thread for sewing, fine yarn for weaving bags, clothing etc and cordage for making nets, shoes, twine, mats etc[9][14][15][18]. A fairly wind resistant tree, it can be grown as part of a shelterbelt planting[11]. Wood - soft, straight grained, light, weak, not durable, easily worked, resistant to splitting, it holds nails badly, holds glue, paint and lacquer well, seasons well but shrinks considerably. It weighs 28lb per cubic foot[15], is odourless and bland-tasting[14]. A commercially important timber in its native range[14][16]. The white wood is excellent for turning and carving, it is used for making woodenware such as spoons, cheap furniture, pulp etc[19][23][5][15][16].

Product or use
Fibre
Product or use
Wood

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Canopy

Environment

Range
Central and Eastern N. America - New Brunswick to Florida, west to Texas and Manitoba.
Habitat
Rich, often moist, soils of woods and bottomlands, often forming pure stands[23][15].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 3+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerances
high wind
Wind
Yes
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

Seed - much of the seed produced in Britain is not viable, cut a few seedcases open to see if there is a seed inside[22]. If possible, obtain fresh seed that is ripe but has not as yet developed a hard seed coat and sow it immediately in a cold frame. It may germinate in the following spring though it could take 18 months[22]. Stored seed can be very slow to germinate. It has a hard seed coat, embryo dormancy and a hard coat on the pericarp. All these factors mean that the seed may take up to 8 years to germinate[22]. One way of shortening this time is to stratify the seed for 5 months at high temperatures (10°c at night, up to 30°c by day) and then 5 months cold stratification[22]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Layering in spring just before the leaves unfurl. Takes 1 - 3 years[21]. Suckers, when formed, can be removed with as much root as possible during the dormant season and replanted immediately[11].

Cultivation

Prefers a good moist loamy alkaline to neutral soil but succeeds on slightly acid soils[2][11]. Grows poorly on any very dry or very wet soils[11]. Dislikes exposed positions[11]. Another entry in the same book says that it is fairly wind tolerant[11]. Succeeds in full sun or semi-shade[8]. A fast-growing and moderately long-lived tree in the wild, it starts producing seed when about 15 years old and continues for at least another 85 years[16]. It is generally unsatisfactory in Britain, preferring a continental climate and growing more slowly and not usually producing fertile seed in areas with cool summers[11]. Grows best in a woodland situation, young plants tolerate a reasonable level of side shade[11]. They are highly shade-tolerant according to another report[14]. Trees respond well to coppicing, sending up lots of suckers from the roots[14]. Lime trees tend to hybridise freely if other members of the genus are growing nearby[17]. If growing plants from seed it is important to ensure the seed came from a wild source or from an isolated clump of the single species[K]. A good bee plant[20][3]. Trees are usually attacked by aphids which cover the ground and the leaves with a sticky honeydew[8]. Quite tolerant of root disturbance, semi-mature trees up to 5 metres tall have been transplanted successfully. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[11].

References

  1. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩

  3. McPherson. A. and S. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press 1977-00-00 ISBN 0-253-28925-4

    ↩

  4. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

    ↩

  5. Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952-00-00

    ↩

  6. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩1↩2

  7. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  8. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

    ↩1↩2

  9. Bell. L. A. Plant Fibres for Papermaking. Liliaceae Press 1988-00-00

    ↩

  10. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩1↩2

  11. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9

  12. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

    ↩

  13. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  14. Lauriault. J. Identification Guide to the Trees of Canada Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Ontario. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0889025649

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  15. Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0292780206

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  16. Elias. T. The Complete Trees of N. America. Field Guide and Natural History. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co. 1980-00-00 ISBN 0442238622

    ↩1↩2↩3

  17. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3

  18. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6↩7↩8↩9↩10↩11

  19. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  20. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  21. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩

  22. McMillan-Browse. P. Hardy Woody Plants from Seed. Grower Books 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-901361-21-6

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  23. Sargent. C. S. Manual of the Trees of N. America. Dover Publications Inc. New York. 1965-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20278-X

    ↩1↩2

Edit this page