Tilia americana (American Basswood or American Linden)
Tilia americana (American Basswood or American Linden)
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Pure Live Seed
Pure Live Seed
Seed is provided in Pure Live Seed (PLS) unless otherwise stated.
Pure Live Seed (PLS) expresses the viable seed content of a seed lot using its purity and germination or viability test results. It helps you compare seed lots and calculate how much bulk seed is needed to meet a specified PLS planting rate.
PLS weight and bag weight
PLS weight is not the same as the total weight of seed in a bag. For example, a lot with 80% purity and 75% viability contains 60% PLS: 80 × 75 ÷ 100 = 60. Supplying 10 lb PLS from that lot requires about 16.67 lb of bulk seed.
Use the current seed test and the stated basis of the mix specification. Germination calculations may include applicable hard or dormant seed. Seed-count estimates also require the number of seeds per pound; PLS alone does not provide a seed count.
What to check when buying a mix
Check whether each rate is stated in PLS pounds, bulk pounds, or a combination. A mix with both bases should not be described as having an all-PLS total.
PLS does not remove weed seeds or guarantee establishment. Review the seed label and analysis for weed content, and match site preparation, planting conditions and follow-up management to your project.
Sources: USDA NRCS, Understanding Pure Live Seed and The Importance of Seed Quality for Natural Resource Conservation.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
Weight Conversions lbs. to oz.
0.01 pounds = 0.16 ounces
- 0.1 pounds = 1.6 ounces
- 0.25 pounds = 4 ounces
- 0.5 pounds = 8 ounces
- 0.75 pounds = 12 ounces
- 1.00 pounds = 16 ounces
American basswood eventually casts heavy shade beneath a large crown. Think ahead about understory planting: grass and other sun-loving vegetation may decline as the tree matures.
For Tilia americana, choose full sun to light shade and mesic soil. Recorded habitats include mesic upland and bottomland woods; Sandy woods; Stabilized Lake Michigan dunes; Riverbanks; Wooded ravine slopes. Reported height: 50-100 ft.
Leave room for the mature branches beside paths and nearby plantings. Growth habit: stout-trunked tree with an elongated to rounded crown; crowns are broader in open sites. Root structure: widely spreading woody lateral roots.
Plant specifications & ecological relationships
Key growing facts
| Sunlight | Full sun to light shade |
|---|---|
| Soil moisture | Mesic |
| Height | 50-100 ft |
| Bloom season | Early summer |
Native landscape companions
For partial sun / light shade and mesic soil, consider these native plants alongside Tilia americana:
| Companion plant | Height |
|---|---|
| Red Oak (Quercus rubra) | 60-100 ft |
| Purple Meadow Rue (Thalictrum dasycarpum) | 3-7 ft |
| Bur-reed Sedge (Carex sparganioides) | 12 to 40 inches |
| Northern Maidenhair Fern (Adiantum pedatum) | 1–3 ft |
These landscape suggestions combine overlapping growing needs with documented plant associations. Match soil, seasonal wetness and mature spread to your site. Remnant records are described separately under Plant communities & associates.
Show / hide ▾Growing & planting details
| Growth habit | Stout-trunked tree with an elongated to rounded crown; crowns are broader in open sites |
|---|---|
| Root form | Widely spreading woody lateral roots |
| Soil pH | Published cultivation guidance lists acidic, alkaline, neutral soil conditions; no optimal numeric interval is established. |
| Cultivation hardiness zones | Zones 3a–8b (general cultivation guidance) |
| Drought tolerance | Drought tolerance reported in cultivation guidance; establishment needs and duration are not specified. |
| Deer browsing | White-tailed deer browse leaves and twigs. |
| Salt tolerance | None |
Plant identification & seed reference
| Botanical name | Tilia americana |
|---|---|
| Other common names | american linden; American Basswood; American Linden; Basswood; Bee Tree; Carolina Basswood; Lime Tree; Linden; White Basswood; White Wood |
| Seed germination | USDA lists cold stratification as required; duration is not specified. |
| Plant family | Tiliaceae |
| Seeds per pound — reference estimate | 4765 |
Plant characteristics
Tilia americana (American Basswood or American Linden) is a stately sprawling tree that has lush green foliage. It is a handsome and widely adaptable native tree that can be used as a parkway tree or shade tree and is a favorite of bees with it's attractive white flowers. It has a normal to fast growth rate.
Show / hide ▾Plant communities & associates
Documented Illinois communities
Second-growth dry-mesic upland sand forest — woody layer
Lost Mound — Jo Daviess County, Illinois; 2005 survey.
Other native plants recorded in this survey area: Betula nigra, Carya cordiformis, Carya ovata, Celtis occidentalis, Corylus americana, Juniperus virginiana, Prunus serotina, Quercus alba, Quercus rubra, Quercus velutina, Ribes missouriense, Acer negundo.
Selected species from the woody layer. The survey includes disturbance and succession; these records do not specify immediate neighbors or planting proportions.
Illinois woodland and stream communities
Middle Fork Woods, Vermilion County (1999–2002 survey). Recorded in: mesic ravine forest; dry upland bluff — east-facing river slope; dry upland bluff — west-facing creek slope; dry-mesic upland forest — immature second growth.
Mesic ravine forest — selected native associates: Geranium maculatum, Phlox divaricata, Asarum canadense.
Dry upland bluff — east-facing river slope — selected native associates: Carex pensylvanica, Carex rosea, Bromus pubescens.
These plants share a recorded habitat; they were not necessarily found in the same small plot.
Other documented plant associations
These published associations show how this plant fits into natural vegetation. The region and community are identified for each list; moisture, shade and flooding can differ within a community.
Mixed mesophytic forest canopy
Eastern United States; range-wide synthesis
Maple–basswood forest on north-facing slopes
Central Iowa
Floodplain transitional forest
Range synthesis; locality not specified
Black-maple-dominated forest
Five stands summarized by the North Central Forest Experiment Station; exact localities unspecified
Forest overstory associates of northern red oak
Eastern North America; species-range synthesis
Central hardwood forests; different stand types
Central part of the American hornbeam range
Other regional plant communities
These plants are named with this species in published vegetation accounts. Each list keeps its community and region; some records describe a shared vegetation type rather than neighboring plants in a measured plot. They are ecological records, not a planting recipe, and may include plants unsuitable for a particular garden.
- Mesic hardwood and bottomland forest communities (Midwestern and northern Mississippi Valley): Celtis occidentalis.
- Cedar glades (Wisconsin): Juniperus virginiana.
- White-cedar forests (Lower northern Michigan): Prunus virginiana.
- Northern hardwood and mixed mesophytic forests (Eastern North America): Acer saccharum.
- Forest understory (Great Lakes and New England): Carex pensylvanica.
- Hardwood and mixed forests (Eastern North America; associations vary across the range): Fagus grandifolia.
- Maple and mixed-hardwood understory (Northern states and Canada): Osmorhiza claytonii.
- Mesic draws and mixed-deciduous woodlands (Northern Great Plains): Quercus macrocarpa.
- Sugar-maple and basswood forests (Eastern North America): Acer saccharum, Fraxinus americana, Quercus rubra, Acer rubrum, Ulmus americana, Tsuga canadensis, Betula alleghaniensis.
Spring Bay Fen Nature Preserve — tall shrub fen
Surveyed in 2007, 2008 and 2011. Tall shrub fen on Lena muck, recorded separately from the adjoining forest and filled upland. These dated records do not establish presence today.
Other native plants recorded in this surveyed community: Acer saccharinum, Amorpha fruticosa, Asclepias incarnata, Blephilia hirsuta, Bolboschoenus fluviatilis, Caltha palustris, Carex hystericina, Carex stipata, Cephalanthus occidentalis, Chelone glabra.
Murphy, Phillippe & Ebinger 2021, Appendix 1. Selected associates from the same community; records do not show immediate neighbors or prescribe planting ratios.
Show / hide ▾Native range & C-value
State nativity describes a broad range. Use the Chicago-region assessment for local context; a state listing does not establish county nativity.
| Wetland indicator — NWPL 2022 Midwest | FACU |
|---|---|
| C-value — Chicago region, Flora 2017 | 5 |
| Chicago-region native — Flora 2017 | Yes |
| Native range — U.S. states | Alabama; Arkansas; Connecticut; Delaware; Florida; Georgia; Illinois; Indiana; Iowa; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; Michigan; Minnesota; Mississippi; Missouri; Nebraska; New Hampshire; New Jersey; New York; North Carolina; North Dakota; Ohio; Oklahoma; Pennsylvania; Rhode Island; South Carolina; South Dakota; Tennessee; Texas; Vermont; Virginia; West Virginia; Wisconsin |
| County nativity | Vermilion County, Illinois — historical remnant forest evidence (1974; resurveyed 1999–2002). County coverage is partial. |
Show / hide ▾Pollinators & wildlife
Caterpillars & other plant-feeding insects
This plant has published caterpillar host records for the butterflies and moths listed below. These are larval feeding relationships, separate from adult nectar visits. The records span a North American literature compilation and do not establish that every insect occurs locally or uses only this plant.
Butterflies & skippers
- Papilio glaucus — Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Moths
- Acronicta americana — American Dagger
- Acronicta impleta — Yellow-Haired Dagger
- Alsophila pometaria — Fall Cankerworm Moth
- Cenopis pettitana — Maple-Basswood Leafroller Moth
- Coleophora tiliaefoliella
- Dasychira obliquata — Streaked Tussock Moth
- Eacles imperialis — Imperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
- Ellida caniplaga — Linden Prominent
- Euclea delphinii — Spiny Oak-Slug Moth
- Halysidota tessellaris — Banded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
- Herpetogramma fraxinalis
- Herpetogramma pertextalis — Bold-Feathered Grass Moth
- Hypena baltimoralis — Baltimore Bomolocha, Baltimore Snout
- Hypena deceptalis — Deceptive Bomolocha, Deceptive Snout, Basswood Owlet Moth
- Iridopsis ephyraria — Pale-Winged Gray
- Isa textula — Crowned Slug
- Lithacodes fasciola — Yellow-Shouldered Slug
- Machimia tentoriferella — Gold-Striped Leaftier Moth
- Oreana unicolorella — Ladder-Marked Caterpillar
- Parasa chloris — Smaller Parasa, Green Slug Moth
- Phyllonorycter tiliacella — Basswood Round-Blotch Miner
- Sciota vetustella — Belted Leafroller
- Sparganothis umbrana — Birdsfoot Trefoil Leaftier
- Stigmella apicialbella
- Stigmella argentifasciella
- Stigmella tiliella
- Symmerista leucitys — Orange-Humped Mapleworm
Leafhopper hosts
The INHS revision lists this plant as a host for the following Eratoneura leafhoppers. These plant-feeding insects are distinct from caterpillars and flower visitors.
- Eratoneura separata
Host names follow the 2010 taxonomic revision. Its distribution records do not establish a host observation at your planting site.
Other insect & wildlife relationships
Caterpillars this plant can feed
Eastern Tiger Swallowtail.
- Nectar: Bees and other insects collect flower nectar.
- Seed: Birds and squirrels eat the seeds.
Additional published species records; Illinois insect occurrence is not established by this account. These records do not guarantee that every insect occurs at your planting site.
Show / hide ▾Frequently asked questions
What are the ideal growing conditions for American Basswood or American Linden?
Light: Full sun to light shade. Soil moisture: Mesic.
How do I germinate and establish American Basswood or American Linden from seed?
USDA lists cold stratification as required; duration is not specified.
Is American Basswood or American Linden deer and herbivore resistant?
White-tailed deer browse leaves and twigs. Even plants described as resistant may be browsed. Use physical protection where deer damage is a concern.
When should I expect American Basswood or American Linden to bloom?
Typical flowering period: Early summer. Timing varies with location and weather.
Show / hide ▾Sources & ecological notes
Landscape companion selection: Natural Communities compared the growing requirements shown on these species pages with selected source records: Mesic ravine forest — East-central Illinois. The shortlist is a planting-design inference. A shared record does not establish adjacency, identical soil requirements, local seed origin, or a tested planting combination. Regional synthesis records retain their documented focal-to-associate scope.
Illinois woodland records: Larimore, Phillippe & Ebinger (2008), Middle Fork Woods flora, Appendix I. © 2008 University of Illinois Board of Trustees, CC BY 4.0. Habitat records transcribed, selected and linked to catalog names by Natural Communities. Survey: 1999–2002.
Native range & ecological ratings: Flora of the Chicago Region (2017), via Universal FQA; USACE Chicago FQA (2017); Kew WCVP / Plants of the World Online; USACE National Wetland Plant List.
Growing conditions & other references: Illinois Wildflowers, John Hilty; USDA Forest Service: querub; USDA Forest Service: american hornbeam; USDA Forest Service: black maple; USDA Forest Service: Acer saccharum; USDA Forest Service: Carex pensylvanica; USDA Forest Service: Celtis occidentalis; USDA Forest Service: Fagus grandifolia; USDA Forest Service: Juniperus virginiana; USDA Forest Service: Osmorhiza claytonii; USDA Forest Service: Prunus virginiana; USDA Forest Service: Quercus macrocarpa; USDA Forest Service: Tilia americana; USDA NRCS PLANTS; USDA Forest Service: species review; USDA Forest Service: species review; NC State Extension Plant Toolbox.
Wildlife records: Shropshire & Tallamy: caterpillar hosts (2025); INHS: Eratoneura leafhopper host records.
Native range does not identify the origin of the seed or plants offered. Community and wildlife records apply to the locations and conditions described.
Research notes & credits
USACE/ERDC fqadata — Chicago Region FQA 2017. Herman, B., Sliwinski, R. & Whitaker, S. (2017), Chicago Region FQA Calculator; distributed by USACE/ERDC in fqadata under CC0. Values may differ from Flora of the Chicago Region (2017). CC0 dedication. Retained for comparison; the displayed C-value follows Flora database 80.
Range data: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; 4 June 2026 release, accessed 7 September 2026. © The Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. CC BY 3.0; selected and reformatted. Kew cannot warrant the quality or accuracy of these data. This use has no Kew endorsement.
Caterpillar host records: Shropshire, K.J. & Tallamy, D.W. (2025), Lepidoptera of North America, Supplement 1. Contains information from this database made available under the Open Database License (ODbL 1.0). Natural Communities selected species-level records and screened source qualifications. The complete selection and transformation instructions for this page are available below under the same license.
Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin — Eratoneura paper. Dietrich, C.H. & Dmitriev, D.A. (2010), Review of the Species of New World Erythroneurini, IV. Genus Eratoneura. Copyright University of Illinois Board of Trustees. CC BY 4.0; selected host records summarized and reformatted. No endorsement implied. CC BY 4.0.
Flora rating attribution: Kenneth Johnson (2018), Flora of the Chicago Region UFQA Database, following Gerould Wilhelm and Laura Rericha (2017), Flora of the Chicago Region: A Floristic and Ecological Synthesis. Individual rating facts are presented with original commentary; the calculator’s software license is not treated as a license for the underlying Flora publication.
Detailed record links: Eratoneura separata; Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin — Eratoneura paper.
Caterpillar research records
Plant: Tilia americana
Record scope: Host literature synthesis; no county nativity or local insect occurrence inferred.
Shropshire & Tallamy (2025) · Original research dataset · Reuse license: ODbL-1.0
| Plant names in the source | Source insect record IDs |
|---|---|
| Tilia americana | 200282, 200307, 200654, 202582, 203264, 203809, 204360, 204593, 205090, 206607, 206840, 206842, 207169, 207172, 207391, 207406, 207799, 208073, 209070, 209314, 209453, 210102, 211326, 211613, 211802, 211803, 211852, 211943 |
How these records were selected
To reproduce this selection, use the “UDELep May 2025” worksheet in the original research dataset.
- Match the insect record IDs above to column A (UDLepID). Within each table row, pair every listed insect ID with every listed source plant name.
- Use the first two words in column H for the insect’s scientific name, column E for its common name, and column AB for its source category.
- Treat the selected pairs as reported caterpillar host records. Keep all other source fields unchanged and outside this selected table. Include no other rows or host pairs.
- Group butterflies and skippers together, and the other categories as moths. Retain the source’s exotic-category labels and sort display names by scientific insect name.
County evidence: historical forest stands described in Larimore, Phillippe & Ebinger (2008), p. 182, with IDNR remnant-site context. The 1974 survey is reported by the 2008 paper; remnant origin is inferred from documented stand continuity.
Survey communities: Ebinger et al. (2006), Tables 1–12, Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin. CC BY 4.0; adapted as dated presence lists, with the source’s non-native records excluded from the displayed native lists.
Growing guidance: Illinois Extension — Keeping deer out of the yard and garden. Selected facts in original wording. General deer advice is not a species resistance rating.
Additional community records: Murphy, Phillippe & Ebinger (2021), Spring Bay Fen flora and vegetation. Selected facts and taxonomic links; source spellings and historical survey dates retained.
Plant Shipping & Care
Plant Shipping & Care
We want to ensure that our customers get what they want, a native backyard oasis. To do that, we need to follow a few simple guidelines and give you some information and pointers to make sure you get your plants delivered in a healthy state.
As a reminder, you will receive an email to confirm your pickup or shipping window just before the plants are ready. See Order Fulfillment below for seasonal fulfillment windows.
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Order Fulfilment - When Your Plants or Other Items Will Be Ready
We take orders all year long and seed is shipped all year, but we only provide the plants to you in certain fulfillment windows to ensure healthy plants.
Wholesale Orders
- Shipped or are Ready For Pick Up As Requested.
Retail & Website Orders
- Seed Typically Ships Out Within One Week Of Order All Year Long
- Typically, single species flats ship when ready, sometimes as soon as early to mid-April (depends on weather) through early-October.
- Mixed species kits are batched and shipped as indicated on the product page.
- If a plant order is placed while outside of the plant fulfillment window your plants will be reserved through your payment, however, the order will not be fulfilled and shipped until the following spring. We don't want to provide you plants when they won't be happy during the cold winter months.
- Early in the spring and later in the fall certain species may be dormant or partially dormant with brown leaves, however they will return to grow healthy next growing season.
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- Fulfillment is always dependent upon plant availability. We try our best but sometimes plants do not overwinter well and perish. If a plant is on back order you will receive an email indicating the estimated shipping date. If we can not provide the plant we will first notify you and give you an option of substitution or a refund of that individual species.
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Where We Ship
What to Expect When Receiving Your Delivery
- Your plants will be packaged with the utmost care
- We will need to cut back certain plants prior to shipping. This seems counter-intuitive, however, the fewer leaves the less water the plants can lose during shipping, resulting in healthier plants for you. This also enables the plants to fit within the protective packaging and shipped safely.
Shipments
- Larger plant shipments will look similar to the picture below with a tray of your plants and a cardboard box to protect them during shipping.
What to Do With Your Plants After Receiving Your Delivery
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- Install your plants as quickly as possible and water the entire garden area thoroughly
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- Make sure each plant is receiving the appropriate amount of light.
- Continue to water daily each morning and possibly again in the afternoon
- No additional fertilizer is needed
Seed Shipping & Care
Seed Shipping & Care
Seed ships all year and typically ships within a week of an order being placed.
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