American Linden (Tilia Americana)
are large deciduous trees. They are members of the Tilia genus,
called lindens in North America and limes in Britain.
Neither the name nor the
tree is related to the citrus fruit called "lime".
Another widely-used common name used in North America is Basswood,
derived from bast, the name for the inner bark
Growing
conditions
Grow rapidly in
a rich soil, but are subject to the attacks of many insect enemies.
Uses
Linden timber is soft and easily worked,
so it is a popular wood for intricate carving and model building.
It can be sanded very smooth, and is resistant to warping
once seasoned.
It is known in the wood trade as basswood,
particularly in North America, from the inner fibrous bark
of the tree, known as bast (Old English). Basswood is also
frequently used as a material for electric guitar bodies,
recorders and drum shells. It's the wood most used for window-blinds
and shutters, since it is lightweight and strong.
Bast has been used by the Ainu people
of Japan to weave their traditional clothing, the attus.
Fun
Facts
The lime tree is a national emblem of
Slovakia, Slovenia and the Czech Republic, and has cultural
and spiritual significance throughout Indo-Europe. As a result,
lots of streets are named after it, and songs and poems written
about it.
The tilia was a highly symbolic and hallowed
tree in Germanic mythology associated with Freyja, the guardian
of life and goddess of fortune, love and truth. Therefore
her tree was considered a tree of peace and it often formed
the central meeting place (and even judiciary) of many villages
and rural communities. According to legend it cannot be struck
by lightning since Freya is the wife of Thor, a major god
of the Germanic pantheon, so it is ascribed protective powers
against evil and catastrophe
Homer, Horace, Virgil, and Pliny mention
the lime-tree and mention its virtues. As Ovid tells the old
story of Baucis and Philemon, she was changed into a linden
and he into an oak when the time came for them both to die.
The name of the great botanist Linnaeus
was derived from the linden.
Size
Grows to 65-130'
tall.
Form & Shape
Thick and sturdy straight trunk
with branches that divide and subdivide into numerous ramifications
on which the spray is small and thick. In summer it's covered
with large leaves, for a dense symmetrical ball of abundant
foliage.
Bark
Light
grey when young, the deep furrows turn to greyish-brown with
age. A very strong fiber is obtained from the bark ("bast"),
by peeling off the bark and soaking in water for a month, then
separating the inner fibers.
Fragrant and nectar-producing
flowers, important for beekeepers, producing a very pale but
richly flavored monofloral honey, and good as an herbal tea
as well.
Fruit
The tiny fruit looks like a
pea, and hangs attached to a ribbon-like, greenish-yellow bract,
from which to launch the ripened seed-clusters just a little
beyond the parent tree.
