Each leaf stands out aggressively on a long stem. The glory of the tree—which gives it its name—is the mass of tulip-shaped flowers it bears in the spring. They are large and brilliant, yellowish-green in color, with dashes of red, and develop a narrow, light-brown cone, which remains on the tree all winter. The tree thrives best south of the Ohio valley, where it is frequently found from five to seven feet in diameter. The Indians formerly made their dugout canoes from its trunk, and in some sections it is still called canoe wood.
Fig. 113. Tulip, or Whitewood
55. Basswood, or Linden. A very valuable group of trees for both shade and timber are the basswoods, or lindens. There are several varieties, the European linden thriving here as readily as our native varieties. These trees may always be distinguished by the leaves, which are heartshaped and lopsided, i.e. one side from the middle line being always larger than the other, as if two leaves of different sizes had been joined along the center.
This is a very common feature among certain classes of trees, such as the elms. Another remarkable feature is the seed, or bract, shown in the sketch ([Fig. 115]).
The tree is sugar-loaf in shape, gives a dense shade, and has sweet flowers so fragrant that it is sometimes called the bee tree, because the bees swarm all over it in the summer time. Its timber is valuable, being free from knots and of such an even grain that it is much sought after for some kinds of carving.
Fig. 114. American Linden, or Basswood, showing the Sugar-Loaf Form of the Tree
The familiar cigar-store Indian is usually carved from basswood.