Basswood makes beautiful furniture like wood flooring and basswood blinds, but where does basswood come from? The basswood, sometimes called the linden tree, is native to Great Britain and Eastern North America. The wood is soft, light and uniform in it’s texture, so there’s not a lot of grain to it. It’s used often in boxes and burial caskets.
The natural range of American basswood is found throughout central Quebec and Ontario down to the southeast corner of Manitoba, then south again along the eastern borders of North Dakota to northeastern Oklahoma. The southernmost limit of the natural growing area of the trees is in Northern Arkansas and Tennessee.
American basswood has two main types, sugar maple-basswood in Wisconsin and Minnesota and the the northern red oak-basswood-white ash in New England, New York, and Pennsylvania.The American basswood is a minor part of the 14 different forest types in these regions. It grown in deep and fertile loamy soils, but if the climate is right, it can grow in sandy or coarse soil. The trees leave soil very healthy, and the leaves are very high in magnesium, calcium, and contribute lots of potassium and phosphorous to soil.
A basswood tree can reach up to about 120 feet. The largest ever seen was found in northern Delaware with a diameter of 66 inches. The height and diameter growth rates are quite high. Ones found in the north are generally larger in the north. When you see them in the forest, they’re recognizable by their straight, limb free trunks that finish in a narrower and shorter crown that most of the trees around it. The bark of young American basswood trees is green, shiny, and dark. When the tree matures, it becomes grayish with deep fissures throughout.
American basswood is generally known just as basswood, but is sometimes known as American linen. There are some exotic hybrids found throughout the states, and these are usually known as lindens.
The advantage of basswood is it’s natural resistance to warping and it generally has a low occurrence of knots and other defects. Because of this, it’s often used as a veneer. It is also used in boxes, crates, mill-work, and as you know, basswood blinds!
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