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Common Name: White Basswood

General Information

Tilia heterophylla is a deciduous tree that can grow up to 30.00 metres tall.
It is harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of materials.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

Eastern N. America - New York to Florida.

Habitat

Buffs and slopes of ravines and by streams[]. Found in rich woods in the Appalachians[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Deciduous Tree
Height	30.00 m
Growth Rate	Medium
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Prefers a good moist loamy alkaline to neutral soil but succeeds on slightly acid soils[, ]. Grows poorly on any very dry or very wet soil[]. Dislikes exposed positions[]. Succeeds in sun or semi-shade[].
A moderately fast growing and long-lived species in the wild[]. It prefers a continental climate, growing more slowly and not producing fertile seed in areas with cool summers[]. It is fairly susceptible to forest fires because it has a thin bark[].
Lime trees tend to hybridise freely if other members of the genus are growing nearby[]. 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[].
Grows best in a woodland situation, young plants tolerate a reasonable level of side shade[].
Trees are usually attacked by aphids which cover the ground and the leaves with a sticky honeydew[].
Closely related to T. americana[].
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[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - raw. A nice mild flavour with a slightly mucilaginous texture[]. They go well in a mixed salad, though I have found that on their own they tend to leave a slightly rough feeling in the throat[].
The dried flowers make a refreshing tea substitute[].
A very good chocolate substitute is made from a paste of the ground fruits and flowers[]. Trials on marketing the product failed because the paste decomposes readily[].

Medicinal

A tea made from the flowers is antispasmodic, diaphoretic and sedative[].
A decoction of the inner bark has been used in the treatment of dysentery[].
A decoction of the bark, mixed with cornmeal, has been used as a poultice in the treatment of boils[].
A decoction of the inner bark and twigs has been used during pregnancy to treat heartburn, weak stomach and weak bowels[].

Other Uses

A fibre is obtained from the tough inner bark It can be made into diverse items such as rope, mats, shoes and coarse cloth[, ].
Wood - soft, light, weak, straight grained[, ]. It weighs 26lb per cubic foot[]. Widely used in interior finishing, cabinet making, woodenware, paper making and for piano keyboards[].

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[]. 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[]. 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[]. 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[]. 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[].
Suckers, when formed, can be removed with as much root as possible during the dormant season and replanted immediately[].