60-80' × same. Also known as Basswood, Butterwood and Lime.
Tall stately long-lived tree with rounded crown and numerous low-hung spreading branches. Sweetly fragrant yellow June flowers will attract all the bees in the neighborhood, make the best honey, and also make a popular after-dinner tea and stomach remedy. Sprinkle them on your salad for a festive treat. The young half-size foliage makes a high-quality salad green. In late summer and fall, clusters of small round nut-like seeds dangle with wing-like bracts, similar to maple samaras, which help with seed dispersion.
Excellent carving wood. Fibrous inner bark used for making cordage. Yellow fall color.
Prefers deep rich moist soils. Full sun or partial shade. Sensitive to salt and pollution. Native from New Brunswick to Virginia. Zone 3.