| Carolina basswood
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| Tilia americana var. caroliniana
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| Malvaceae
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Landscape Uses:
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Specimen, accent, or shade tree. |
Ecological Restoration Notes: |
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| Availability: |
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Available at native plant nurseries in northeast and central Florida. |
| Description: |
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Deciduous tree with brownish to grayish bark up to 75 feet tall. Leaves 2-8 inches long with serrated edges. Small, fragrant white flowers in the spring. |
| Height: |
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Typically 75 feet in height, taller than broad. Up to 120 feet in height in the Florida Panhandle. |
| Growth Rate: |
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Seedlings are slow-growing, fast once established. |
| Range: |
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Eastern half of the United States from Maine to North Dakota south to Texas and Hillsborough to Osceola counties. For a digitized image of Elbert Little's Florida range map, visit the Exploring Florida website. |
| Habitats: |
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Moist hammocks. |
| Soils: |
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Moist, well-drained sandy or limestone soils, with humusy top layer. |
| Nutritional Requirements: |
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Moderate; can grow in nutrient poor soils, but needs some organic content to thrive. |
| Salt Water Tolerance: |
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Low; does not tolerate long-term flooding by salt or brackish water. |
| Salt Wind Tolerance: |
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Low; salt wind may burn the leaves. |
| Drought Tolerance: |
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Moderate; generally requires moist soils, but tolerant of short periods of drought once established. |
| Light Requirements: |
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Full sun to light shade. |
| Flower Color: |
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White. |
| Flower Characteristics: |
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Semi-showy. |
| Flowering Season: |
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Spring. |
| Fruit: |
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Tiny, dry, hard and reddish. |
| Wildlife and Ecology: |
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Attracts bees. Larval plant for red-spotted purple (Basilarchia arthemis astyanax) and mourning cloak (Nymphalis antiopa) butterflies. |
| Horticultural Notes: |
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| Comments: |
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We are currently adding data for this species for central and northern Florida. If you would like to contribute information or images, please contact George Gann via the IRC staff page. |
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