The Basswood

By Al Lowe
Contributor

One of our most graceful trees is the Basswood (Tilia americanna). It is one of a family of trees often called Lindens. This is the only one of the family which grows in Canada. It is found from New Brunswick west into parts of Manitoba, including the southern most parts of Northwestern Ontario.
A Basswood growing away from other trees has a very pleasant shape. The main trunk is straight and sturdy, and the branches sweep out and down, but turn up at the ends. The tree grows as though it has been pruned into shape and is very desirable along residential streets.
At one time this tree grew in very large and almost pure stands in the eastern part of the continent. In NWO it has always been fairly scarce. If you have Basswoods near your home you will probably find seedlings growing well in a lot of places.
Basswood leaves are large, sometimes very large indeed, perhaps nine to ten inches long. They have a lop-sided heart shape. The flowers and fruit are rather curious. A long, narrow, leaf-like structure is produced, and from about the center of this a cluster of flowers grows out. Eventually, the fruits are here too. They are a small rounded structure, hard and nut-like, although they are not true nuts at all.
The wood of this tree is soft and easily worked. One use, both ancient and modern, for the wood is carving. Most of the eastern Indians carved masks and other things from Basswood. The Iroquois carved their masks on a living tree, then cut it down and hollowed out the back. In modern times, many carvings in stores are Basswood. The wood is also used in some veneers, for wood trim, furniture parts and things like fancy boxes. Because it is both tough and light, most beehive inside parts are made of this wood.
Basswood honey has a special flavour of its own, and the trees produce a great deal of nectar, so the beekeeper who is near these trees is quite lucky. The Indians also made rope from Basswood bark, a rope which they always said was much better than that of the white man. It did not kink, was much easier to handle when wet, and could even be woven into any length you wanted.
Many years ago, there were large areas in the east where the Basswood formed a major part of the climax forest. Basswoods grow quite well in the shade, while many other seedlings do not. So the Basswoods could regenerate themselves. A few very large Basswoods still remain. The largest one is in Maryland at 103 feet hight and a span of over 100 feet.
Perhaps over a period of time, we may see more of these graceful trees along the streets of NWO towns and cities.