The two most recognized common names for this species are linden and basswood. In the home landscape, the most common example is the little leaf linden, Tilia cordata, which is a native of Europe. In woodlots or older landscapes in the United States, a large native tree, Tilia americana, is called the basswood. Although these two are the most commonly grown in America, there are several other species from Europe and Asia.

All of the lindens have alternate leaves which are nearly heart shaped. The flowers are unique but not very showy. The key characteristic is that they have a separate little "leaf" (actually a bract) on the stem of the blossom. The blooms which appear in early June, can be fragrant and are very attractive to honeybees.

The American basswood is not generally introduced in the home landscape since it becomes a rather large, coarse textured tree. The leaves are quite large and can be a mess in the fall. Usually when these are seen in the landscape, it is because the tree was already there when the house was built.

On the other hand, the little leaf linden is a fine landscape or curbside tree. It does not grow nearly as large as the basswood and its small leaves give a more moderate texture. Their foliage usually turns a bright yellow before it drops in the fall while the basswoods tend to turn brown.

There is one potentially major problem with the little leaf linden. If your area is bothered by Japanese beetles, you should be aware that lindens are high on their list of foot sources. In bad infestations of Japanese beetles, the top of the tree's canopy will turn brown by the end of the summer due to the skeletonizing of the leaves. Although this usually does not cause a serious problem for the life of the tree, it is not very attractive. So, be aware of this problem if Japanese beetles are common where you live.

There are several other species of Tilias but they are not usually found in nurseries and, therefore, in home landscapes. Some of them are not suitable for such a use.

American Lindens: T. americana, T. heterophylla, T. caroliniana, T. floridana, T. neglecta and T. monticola originated in North America with the most common being T. americana. Because of their mature tree size, leaf size and coarse texture, none of these has been deemed a suitable alternative to the little leaf linden for landscape use.

European Lindens: Two species of small sized lindens, T. europaea and T. vulgaris have been used in some gardens in Europe and the U.K. Over time, it has been determined that these trees should not be used in the home landscape. They tend to send up a lot of suckers from the root system and are bothered by aphids most summers.

Asiatic Lindens: T. chinensis and T. mongolica are a couple of smaller sized lindens that might be useful in the landscape. However, they do not seem to have any special features that would recommend them over the little leaf linden so there isn't much interest in developing them for the nursery trade at this point.