basswood tree bark

Other attacking insects include bark borers, walnut lace bug, Basswood leaf miner, scales and Linden mite can all be troublesome problems. Beautiful and sturdy, its heart-shaped green leaves and pale yellow fragrant flowers in June make it especially attractive. The linden is recommended as an ornamental tree when a mass of foliage or a deep shade is desired. Basswood Tree Identification .

Basswood's asymmetrical and lopsided heart-shaped leaf is the largest of all broadleaf trees, nearly as wide as it is long at between 5 and 8 inches. The flowers are also used for herbal teas and tinctures; this kind of use is particularly popular in Europe and also used in North American herbal medicine practices. The rich green upper side of the leaf is in contrast to the underleaf's paler green to almost-white color.

The best dead limbs are ones that have been dead for a week or two. Whether considered as a single species (American basswood) with multiple varieties or several species, the bass tree is quite recognizable by leaf, fruit and overall shape. Insects: aphids are notorious pests on basswood but will not kill a healthy tree.Aphids produce a sticky substance called "honeydew" which then introduces a dark sooty mold that will cover objects under the tree including parked vehicles and lawn furniture. They are very important honey plants for beekeepers, producing a very pale, but richly flavoured monofloral honey. The bark is light or silvery gray, and smooth or finely ridged on branches and young trunks. Life expectancy is around 200 years, with flowering and seeding generally occurring between 15 and 100 years, though occasionally seed production may start as early as 8 years.

The basswood's small greenish flowers are uniquely attached and hanging under a pale, leaflike bract. The American basswood is a medium-sized to large deciduous tree reaching a height of 18 to 37 m (60 to 120 ft) exceptionally 39 m (128 ft) with a trunk diameter of 1–1.5 m (3–5 ft) at maturity. The tree produces fragrant and nectar-producing flowers, and the medicinal herb lime blossom. The Basswood exhibits an oval to round shape with smooth gray to brown bark when young. Bark from dead Basswood limbs provides the best material.

On older trunks, the bark breaks into long, medium ridges and furrows, dark gray to almost black in color. Any longer and the bark will have dried out a lot. The basswood tree is a North American representative of the linden genus, widespread in the Northern Hemisphere. Basswood (also known as American Linden) is often used as a specimen or dense shade tree. Fast-growing and deciduous, basswood trees generally reach a mature height of 65 to 70 feet, growing about 24 inches per season. It grows faster than many North American hardwoods, often twice the annual growth rate of American beech and many birch species. Basswood has a very distinct fruit; it is an open cluster of hard nutlets borne on a stem which comes from the center of a narrow elliptical, life-like wing. It consists of long interwoven fibres that form an interlocking weave. Growth Habit. Basswood bark makes excellent strong cordage. It peels readily from the tree and is easy to work with. The bark matures to a scaly and furrowed form with age.