States
North CarolinaTennesseeGeorgiaSouth CarolinaKentuckyAlabamaFloridaVirginia
Menu

American Basswood; American Linden

Tilia americana var. heterophylla

Found in rich coves and moist to dry slopes (the drier sites usually on limestone), often one of the most abundant trees in Southern Appalachian cove forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

68
Strong

Native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height
About 90 feet
Light
Up to 6 hours of direct sun
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Early summer
Fruiting season
Summer to fall

Not yet recorded · Spread · Soil · Life cycle

Recorded in 33 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 3

Rich cove forests

Cove hardwood forest
Regional / representative. Shown: Great Smoky Mountains National Park, North Carolina and Tennessee; representative habitat composite, not a documented exact viewpoint, a neighboring state.Cove hardwood forest, Hynes, Robert 'Bob', by 2012. Public domain. Source record.

Moist forests

Forests on moist but not wet ground, such as rich slopes and ravines.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Alabama. Shared habitat, not food. 144 animals.

All wildlife of Alabama

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

120CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Tilia

  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
  • Acrobasis indigenellaLeaf Crumpler
  • Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
  • Acronicta impletaYellow-Haired Dagger
  • Acronicta interruptaInterrupted Dagger
  • Acronicta spinigeraNondescript Dagger
  • Actias lunaLuna Moth
  • Adoneta spinuloidesPurple-Crested Slug
  • Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
Show all 120
  • Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Anisota stigmaSpiny Oakworm Moth, Stigma Moth
  • Antaeotricha leucillanaWell-Marked Leaf Tier, Pale Gray Bird-Dropping Moth
  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
  • Callosamia prometheaPromethea Silkmoth, Promethea Moth
  • Cecrita biundataWavy-Lined Heterocampa
  • Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
  • Cenopis pettitanaMaple-Basswood Leafroller Moth
  • Cerastis tenebriferaReddish Speckled Dart
  • Ceratomia amyntorElm Sphinx
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Citheronia regalisRoyal Walnut Moth, Hickory Horned Devil
  • Clostera inclusaAngle-Lined Prominent, Poplar Tent Maker, Poplar Leaf-Tier
  • Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
  • Colocasia flavicornisYellowhorn, Saddled Yellowhorn
  • Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
  • Dasychira basiflavaYellow-Based Tussock Moth
  • Dasychira obliquataStreaked Tussock Moth
  • Datana drexeliiDrexel's Datana
  • Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
  • Dichomeris ligulellaPalmerworm
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Ellida caniplagaLinden Prominent
  • Ennomos magnariaMaple Spanworm Moth, Notchwing Geometer
  • Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
  • Erannis tiliariaLinden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
  • Euchlaena marginariaOchre Euchlaena
  • Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Euzophera semifuneralisAmerican Plum Borer
  • Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hypagyrtis unipunctataOne-Spotted Variant
  • Hypena baltimoralisBaltimore Bomolocha, Baltimore Snout
  • Hypena deceptalisDeceptive Bomolocha, Deceptive Snout, Basswood Owlet Moth
  • Hypena eductalisRed-Footed Bomolocha, Red-footed Snout
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Iridopsis defectariaBrown-Shaded Gray, Willow Looper
  • Iridopsis ephyrariaPale-Winged Gray
  • Isa textulaCrowned Slug
  • Limenitis arthemisBanded Purple, Red-Spotted Admiral
  • Lithacodes fasciolaYellow-Shouldered Slug
  • Lithophane antennataAshen Pinion
  • Lithophane bethuneiBethune's Pinion
  • Lithophane petulcaWanton Pinion
  • Lochmaeus bilineataDouble-Lined Prominent
  • Lochmaeus manteoVariable Oakleaf Caterpillar Moth
  • Lycia ypsilonWoolly Gray
  • Machimia tentoriferellaGold-Striped Leaftier Moth
  • Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
  • Malacosoma disstriaForest Tent Caterpillar
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Metarranthis duariaRuddy Metarranthis
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Morrisonia latexFluid Arches, Fluid Mamestra
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Nemoria mimosariaWhite-Fringed Emerald
  • Nymphalis antiopaMourning Cloak
  • Orgyia definitaDefinite Tussock Moth
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthosia alurinaGray Quaker
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Paleacrita vernataSpring Cankerworm Moth
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Pandemis lamprosanaWoodgrain Leafroller
  • Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Panopoda carneicostaBrown Panopoda, Hickory Panopoda
  • Pantographa limataBasswood Leafroller Moth
  • Paonias excaecataBlinded Sphinx, Blind Eyed Sphinx
  • Paonias myopsSmall-Eyed Sphinx
  • Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
  • Parallelia bistriarisMaple Looper Moth
  • Parasa chlorisSmaller Parasa, Green Slug Moth
  • Phaeoura quernariaOak Beauty Moth
  • Phigalia strigatariaSmall Phigalia, Small Oak Looper
  • Phigalia titeaThe Half-Wing Geometer, Spiney Looper, Eastern Oak Looper
  • Philonome clemensellaClemens' Philonome
  • Phyllonorycter lucetiellaBasswood Miner, Basswood Squareblotch Miner
  • Plagodis alcoolariaHollow-Spotted Plagodis
  • Plagodis phlogosariaStraight-Lined Plagodis
  • Plagodis serinariaLemon Plagodis
  • Pococera asperatellaMaple Webworm
  • Polygonia interrogationisQuestion Mark
  • Probole alienariaDogwood Probole, Alien Probole
  • Probole amicariaFriendly Probole
  • Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
  • Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
  • Psilocorsis reflexellaDotted Leaftier Moth
  • Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
  • Sciota vetustellaBelted Leafroller
  • Selenia kentariaKent's Geometer
  • Sericaglaea signataVariable Sallow
  • Smerinthus jamaicensisTwin-Spotted Sphinx
  • Tarache terminimaculataCurve-Lined Bird-Dropping Moth, Curve-Lined Acontia
  • Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
  • Thalera pistasciariaPistachio Emerald
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Tolype velledaLarge Tolype, Large Lappet Moth, Vellada Lappet Moth
  • Tortricidia testaceaEarly Button Slug
  • Zale minereaColorful Zale
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
3BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Tilia

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
MALVACEAE
Flower color
Yellow
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “Early summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Flower color · “Yellow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Single stem” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Height · “About 90 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Leaf retention · “Deciduous” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • primary_flower_color · “yellow” · USDA PLANTS

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNR
Global rankG5T5
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Sources