Tilia americana 'Continental Appeal'
Common name: 
Continental Appeal Linden
Continental Appeal Basswood
Pronunciation: 
TIL-i-a a-mer-i-KA-na
Family: 
Tiliaceae
Genus: 
Tilia
Synonyms: 
T. americana var. heterophylla
Type: 
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Broadleaf deciduous tree, to about 50 ft tall and 28 ft wide (~15 × 8.5 m), dense crown, narrow oval becoming pyramidal, ascending branches.  Leaves alternate, simple, large, 9-15 cm long and 7-10 cm wide, dark green above, whitish pubescence below.
  • Sun to part shade
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 4      Patented by Willet Wandell, Urbana, Illinois in 1975, PP 3,770.  The cultivar name Continental Appeal apparently implies that the tree has "appeal" in the mid-continent region of North America.  This conjecture is derived from the following paragraph in the patent:
    • "Many lindens growing in rural Urbana [Illinois] take on a discolored "worn" appearance beginning in August and continuing throughout the fall.  The new variety linden tree did not assume such a "worn" appearance, and displayed outstandingly attractive foliage throughout the summer and the months of fall, at which time the foliage changed to a bright yellow."
  • At one time 'Continental Appeal' was considered a selection of White Basswood, Tilia heterophylla, which has leaves with dense whitish pubescence on the underside, but otherwise is very similar to Tilia americana. Now T. heterophylla is often included in T. americana, sometimes as T. americana var. heterophylla.
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit

    plant habit

  • leaf

    leaf

  • leaf, underside

    leaf, underside