Tilia americana American basswood (Tiliaceae) Deciduous tree

Browse Plants Articles

Power Search!

Browse Botanic Names

Sponsored By KhorWills

Tilia americana
American basswood
Deciduous tree
(1 Page of 5)

The Tilia americana plant species is found in Central and Eastern N. America - New Brunswick to Florida, west to Texas and Manitoba. It is a member of the Tiliaceae family. Common gardeners may know the plant as American basswood.

Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

Latin Name:  Tilia americana
Common Name:  American basswood
Family:  Tiliaceae
Author:  L.

Known Hazards:  Frequent consumption of the tea made from the flowers may cause heart damage[222].

Mature Height:  25   Mature Width:  12

Habitat:  Rich, often moist, soils of woods and bottomlands, often forming pure stands[82, 227].

Edible Uses: Young leaves - raw or cooked[257]. A mild flavour and a tender but mucilaginous texture, they are very nice in salads[K]. The leaves can be cooked as greens[257]. Sap - obtained from next to the bark and used as a refreshing drink[105, 161, 177]. It can also be concentrated into a syrup and used as a sweetener[183]. Flowers - raw. They can be added to salads[183]. The flowers are used as a tea substitute. They are sweet and fragrant[183]. A very good chocolate substitute is made from a paste of the ground fruits and flowers[2, 105, 177, 183]. Trials on marketing the product failed because the paste decomposes readily[2].

For further Tilia americana gardening information
click on one of the blue links below

Cultivation | Propagation | General Uses
Medicinal | Edible Uses

The information above has been supplied solely via the hard work and dedication of the team at 'Plants for a Future'.
View their bibliography
Useful Edible Plants Future