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Tilia americana L. - var. (Mill.)Castigl. var. caroliniana
Carolina Basswood
Basswood
Synonym(s): Tilia caroliniana (Miller), Tilia floridana (Small)
Florida native
A frequent medium to large tree of moist hammocks in much of the panhandle and north and central peninsula of Florida. The range of variety caroliniana extends throughout the southeast US from Texas and Oklahoma to North Carolina and north into Kentucky and Missouri.
Basswood grows to 25m (82 ft.) tall with brownish to grayish bark. The simple leaves are alternate and two-ranked along the stem with serrate margins, ovate to heart-shaped and often lopsided. The distinctive flowers are in long-stalked clusters hanging from the leaf axils below a long, narrow, leaf-like bract. The hard, dry fruit is reddish and round, 5-7mm (~1/4 in.) in diameter.
Basswood leaves look very similar to unlobed mulberry leaves.
Tilia americana is a member of the Malvaceae - Mallow family.
Atlas of Florida Vascular Plants (Institute for Systemic Botany) profile for this species
iNaturalist profile for this species
USDA Plant Profile for this species
Date record last modified: Sep 21, 2023
