No. 122
Linden
Tilia americana (and planted Tilia spp.)
basswood
Nut & seed ripening nutlets (crack the hard shell and eat the small kernel inside)
Drawing: Britton & Brown, Illustrated Flora (1913)
- Find
- Everywhere
- Effort
- Quick kitchen prep
- ID risk
- Beginner
- Origin
- native
- Uses
- Eat raw / salad
- Juice & drinks
- Coffee substitute
Season
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
in season peak
Picking: The rules are unclear. Ask the park. See Where you may pick.
What these mean
Find
1 Everywhere · 2 Common in the right habitat · 3 Patchy · 4 Elusive. This is about how much there is, not whether you may pick it. It is based on iNaturalist sightings within 25 km (about 15 miles) of downtown DC, counted on October 3, 2026. The four rules that each plant’s “Find” reason refers to: (A) the estimate is the confirmed sightings, plus the unconfirmed ones (scaled down where the plant has lookalikes in its genus), plus the sightings marked as planted; (B) the tier by estimate: 1,500 or more is tier 1, 250–1,499 tier 2, 50–249 tier 3, under 50 tier 4; (C) tier 1, Everywhere, also needs a source saying the plant is common in lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots or towns, or at least one DC street tree of it per km of sidewalk, otherwise it is tier 2; (D) if a reliable source says the plant is rare in this region, or that wild plants rarely bear the harvest, only planted sightings count. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.
Effort
1 Grab & eat · 2 Quick kitchen prep (under about 30 minutes) · 3 Real work (hours, or cooking needed for safety) · 4 Project (days or equipment). Scored on the simplest worthwhile use; each plant’s page says why.
ID risk
How hard it is to harvest safely. Beginner: no dangerous lookalike, and the edible part is not easily confused with a toxic part. Careful: a toxic lookalike, or toxic parts that end up in the harvest unless removed (for example elderberry stems, unripe ground cherries), or other parts of the plant rated medium-or-higher toxicity, with reliable features to separate them. Expert only: a potentially deadly lookalike that is hard to separate, or (for not-recommended harvests like pokeweed) a plant whose safe preparation can’t be guaranteed. Toxic parts that are obviously separate and thrown away anyway (pits, seeds, skins) don’t raise it; the Toxic parts mark carries that warning.
Native or not, and the invader stars
Origin is where the plant comes from: native, non-native, or mixed (the harvest covers both). The stars rate plants on invasive plant lists: ★★★ Virginia DCR “High” or Maryland prohibited invasive · ★★ Virginia “Medium” · ★ Virginia “Low” · ☆ listed only by the Maryland Invasive Species Council or the Mid-Atlantic Plant Invaders guide (advisory) · no stars: native or not listed.
Seasons
Start, peak and end are given in thirds of a month: early, mid or late. A plant counts as in season for a month if it is in season at any point in that month. Some greens and roots have a second window, in spring or fall; their page shows each window. A season that runs across New Year is shown as one window.
What it looks like
The fruit of the linden is a small, round, downy, hard and dry nutlet about the size of a pea, hanging in a cluster from a stalk joined to a leaf-like bract that acts as a wing (NC State; USDA NRCS). Each nutlet usually holds one seed: a hard seed coat around a fleshy, yellowish kernel (USDA Forest Service). Foraging Texas calls the nuts a good trailside nibble in fall, eating only the inner meat, and Eat The Weeds says the seeds are usually eaten raw on the trail. Practical Self Reliance found them small, hard and bitter and has yet to find a palatable way to eat them. Linden fruit has an old reputation as a chocolate substitute: European attempts to make it on a commercial scale, one in the time of Frederick the Great, were given up because the paste spoiled (Fernald & Kinsey, 1958). Practical Self Reliance says the ground paste does not keep, and her attempt with American basswood seeds did not work. Fruits without a seed and seeds eaten by an insect larva are common; a pin hole in the shell shows the larva (USDA Forest Service).
Safety
No toxicity is reported for the nutlets in the sources checked: NC State lists no poisonous part of American basswood and tags its seeds as edible. Eat only the inner kernel, not the shell (Foraging Texas). NC State cautions that over-use of the dried flower tea can cause heart damage; that warning concerns the flowers. No lookalike is named in the sources checked.
- ID risk
- Beginner
- Why
- No lookalike is named in the sources checked. The nutlets hang from a stalk attached to a leaf-like bract (NC State; USDA NRCS); Eat The Weeds says no other tree in North America has such an arrangement.
- Soil risk
- low
ID risk: what this means
How hard it is to harvest safely. Beginner: no dangerous lookalike, and the edible part is not easily confused with a toxic part. Careful: a toxic lookalike, or toxic parts that end up in the harvest unless removed (for example elderberry stems, unripe ground cherries), or other parts of the plant rated medium-or-higher toxicity, with reliable features to separate them. Expert only: a potentially deadly lookalike that is hard to separate, or (for not-recommended harvests like pokeweed) a plant whose safe preparation can’t be guaranteed. Toxic parts that are obviously separate and thrown away anyway (pits, seeds, skins) don’t raise it; the Toxic parts mark carries that warning.
Soil risk: what this means
Based on the part you eat, following the urban-soil lead guidance on the Field safety page: higher for greens, shoots and roots; moderate for flowers; low for fruit, nuts and sap.
Field safety for every outing (poison ivy, ticks, soil, and more)
When to pick
- Starts
- early Jul
- Peak
- late Aug–late Sep
- Ends
- late Oct
NC State gives July to August for linden fruit in North Carolina, and the seeds develop a few weeks after the flowers (Practical Self Reliance), which open around DC in early to mid June (iNaturalist). The USDA Forest Service says the fruits ripen in September and October and are soon dispersed, and USDA NRCS says the seeds are dispersed in October. Foraging Texas eats the nuts in the fall. Around DC, iNaturalist has only 16 linden sightings marked as fruiting, too few to show a peak, so the peak here is an estimate.
How the dates were worked out
Every start, peak and end was re-checked in October 2026. “Sourced” means a source opened during the check states that timing for the DC or Mid-Atlantic area. “Estimated” means no source states it exactly; the reason, the evidence and the source links are under “How the dates were worked out” on each plant’s page. Peaks are often estimated, because few sources name a peak. iNaturalist evidence means research-grade sightings near DC, by month, of the plant at that stage (for example, in fruit). iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.
Season basis: estimated: peak
Start
sourced
Peak
estimated: No source names a peak. Late August to late September spans the end of NC State’s July-August availability and the start of ripening in September given by the USDA Forest Service, when the kernels are full but the fruits are still on the tree; the 16 fruiting-annotated DC records are too few to shape it.
End
sourced
Evidence
start: NC State (North Carolina, statewide, Piedmont included): 'In North Carolina, fruits are available from July to August.' Practical Self Reliance: 'linden seeds, which develop a few weeks after flowering'. Flowering-annotated DC linden records (iNaturalist, all quality grades) by third of the month: May 1/2/4, June 9/3/1. NC State is the only dated source for the start; North Carolina is used with this note (NC Piedmont), and July matches seeds forming a few weeks after the DC bloom. | peak: NC State: fruits available July to August (North Carolina). USDA Forest Service: 'Fruits ripen in September and October'. Foraging Texas: 'In the fall the nuts make a good trailside nibble'. iNaturalist, DC, fruiting annotation, all quality grades, by month: Jan 2, Apr 1, May 2, Jun 3, Jul 1, Aug 4, Sep 1, Oct 2. | end: USDA Forest Service (Silvics): 'Fruits ripen in September and October and are soon dispersed by such mechanisms as wind, gravity, and animals.' USDA NRCS: 'Seeds are dispersed in October.' USDA Forest Service (FEIS, Minnesota): 'Seeds are dispersed in October'.
- Tilia americana (American Basswood) NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
- Identifying and Using Linden Trees: Edible Leaves, Flowers, Seeds, Sap and Bark (Ashley Adamant, updated May 2025) Practical Self Reliance
- Linden / basswood observations within 25 km of DC, by day (flowering annotation, all quality grades) iNaturalist
- American basswood (Silvics of North America) USDA Forest Service
- Basswood/Linden Foraging Texas (Mark Vorderbruggen)
- Linden / basswood observations within 25 km of DC, by month (fruiting annotation, all quality grades) iNaturalist
- Basswood, Tilia americana L. (Plant Guide, 2001) USDA NRCS
- Tilia americana (Fire Effects Information System species review) USDA Forest Service
Where to look
Planted lindens on streets and campuses, plus wild basswood in stream valleys; logged most in Rock Creek Park (no picking) and on the C&O Canal towpath, where the compendium allows edible nuts generally but does not list linden, so it is ambiguous (ask the park first). Virginia state parks are ambiguous too; otherwise pick from private trees with the owner’s permission.
- Habitats
- street & yard trees (planted), woods edges, trailsides & thickets, floodplain & stream-valley forest
Habitats: what this means
Listed where the plant’s own sources place it in that habitat. “Disturbed ground & waste places” means a cited source places it on disturbed areas, sites, soil or ground, on waste places or waste ground, on construction or abandoned building sites (old home sites count), on rubble or in strip mines. When the source gives examples of the disturbed places, at least one example must be of that kind. Examples that do not count: natural or forestry disturbance (treefall gaps, fire, windthrow, flood scour, old riverbanks and creeks, clear-cuts); roadsides, railroads and rights-of-way; and abandoned fields, pastures and farmland, which are “Old fields & meadows”. “Vacant lots” only where a source says vacant or empty lots.
Most-logged places
None of the most-logged places allows picking.
Ask first: rules unclear or not checked
- C&O Canal NHP (towpath, Georgetown to Great Falls MD and beyond)
Ambiguous: the C&O compendium allows edible fruits, nuts and berries generally but sets no limit for this one; ask the park first. Of these, 2 are at Carderock.
No picking here (4 places)
- Rock Creek Park
Look but don’t pick: Rock Creek Park’s compendium bans gathering any fruit, nut, berry, seed or greenery.
- Theodore Roosevelt Island
Look but don’t pick: GW Memorial Parkway sites (incl. Great Falls VA, Theodore Roosevelt Island, Dyke Marsh) designate nothing for gathering.
- Glencarlyn Park
Look but don’t pick: Arlington County park rules say flora shall not be removed or disturbed.
- Four Mile Run stream valley (Arlington/Alexandria)
Look but don’t pick: Arlington County park rules (flora shall not be removed or disturbed) and Alexandria’s permit rule both apply.
Most-logged places: what this means
The places with the most research-grade iNaturalist sightings within 25 km of downtown DC (re-counted in October 2026 over every named place, campuses, condominiums and private grounds included), each marked legal to pick or not. A sighting inside several named places counts once, for the smallest of them, but a sighting inside a National Park Service park never counts for a private, campus or unchecked place. iNaturalist shows where people walk and log plants, not true abundance. Private campuses, condominiums, museums, estates and utility land (Pepco’s power-line land near Sligo Creek) are marked “no” (pick only with the owner’s permission); public university campuses, city parks and other places whose picking rules were not checked (county stormwater land, the U.S. Capitol Grounds, Greenbelt’s North Woods, federal facilities such as the National Zoo) are “unknown”. A place needs at least 2 sightings, so plants with very few sightings have no places. At-risk plants (butternut, nannyberry, American chestnut, ramps, riverbank goldenrod) get places like every other plant; each page says why the plant is at risk and gives any advice its sources give. For some places, mostly Rock Creek Park, the iNaturalist map shows more sightings than the count here, because a map link cannot leave out exactly the sightings credited to another place. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.
Where you may pick
C&O Canal NHP’s compendium says edible fruits, nuts and berries may be gathered by hand for personal use but sets limits only for listed species; linden is not listed, and its nutlets are seeds that may or may not count as nuts, so their status there is ambiguous: confirm with the park. Virginia state parks allow edible fruits, berries, fungi or nuts for personal use (4VAC5-30-50) but do not say whether seeds like these count, so they are ambiguous too (ask the park). Rock Creek Park bans gathering any fruit, nut, berry or seed. On other National Park Service land (GW Parkway and similar), removing plant parts is prohibited unless the superintendent has designated them (36 CFR 2.1). Montgomery County park police have ticketed a berry picker under a county rule against interfering with plants (Wheaton Regional Park, 2015), so assume county parks need permission too. On private land, ask the owner.
- C&O Canal NHP (incl. Great Falls MD, trail-side only)
C&O 2026 compendium 2.1(c)(1): 'Edible fruits, nuts, berries, and mushrooms may be gathered by hand for personal use or consumption.' The limits table that follows does not list this species, and linden nutlets are seeds that may or may not count as nuts (seeds treated as nuts are labeled ambiguous, as for ginkgo). 36 CFR 2.1(c)(1) requires designating 'certain' fruits, so the narrower reading (listed species only) is also possible. Confirm with the park.
- Virginia State Parks
4VAC5-30-50 bars gathering any plant without a permit, except that edible fruits, berries, fungi or nuts may be collected for personal or individual use; linden nutlets are called nuts by some sources (NC State lists the fruit type as a nut), but whether these small seeds count as edible nuts is not addressed
Where you may pick: what this means
For each park system: “yes” where its current rules (the park’s compendium or regulation) allow this plant or part, with the limit; “ambiguous” where the wording may or may not cover it, so ask the park; “no” where it is not allowed. Rock Creek Park, the GW Parkway sites (including Great Falls VA and Theodore Roosevelt Island), the National Mall, Montgomery and Prince George’s parks, Maryland state parks, and Fairfax and Arlington parks prohibit picking. Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts allows blackberries and raspberries (one gallon per person per day) and chestnuts (one gallon per person per day). National Park Service rules are reissued every year; other parks change theirs from time to time, so check the park’s current rules. The Where you may pick page has every park’s rules.
Ways to use it
- trailside nibble in fall: crack the shell and eat only the inner meat (Foraging Texas)
- eaten raw or cooked, usually raw on the trail (Eat The Weeds)
- roasted and ground for a coffee-like drink: roast mature seeds at 300°F for 20 minutes until dry and browned, grind when cool and brew like coffee (a recipe Practical Self Reliance passes on from another source)
- harvest only sound fruits: a pin hole in the shell shows an insect larva inside (USDA Forest Service)
Keeping
Dry them in the shell soon after gathering and store them cool and airtight; refrigerate or freeze shelled kernels.
- Use within
- months+
- Keeps fresh
- Start drying soon after gathering, usually within 24 hours, in a single layer at 90 to 100°F; nuts dried and stored in the shell keep several months at room temperature, and dried, shelled kernels must be refrigerated or frozen (general guidance for nuts, WSU).
- Keeping basis
- general guidance for its type
Ways to keep it
Dry as researched: roast & store; canning: n/a (not shelf-canned)
Roast mature seeds at 300°F for 20 minutes for a coffee-like drink (Practical Self Reliance); roasted nuts and seeds should be eaten within 2-3 weeks (general guidance for nuts, WSU).
Store whole as researched: store in shell; canning: n/a (not shelf-canned)
Once dry, keep them in airtight containers below 70°F; the cooler the storage, the longer they keep (WSU).
Canning: what this means
Shelf-stable canning, three levels. Lab-tested: a lab-tested recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) or Oregon State covers this fruit and product, or a generic recipe for its kind (the line says so, for example chokeberry). Extension recipe: a published Extension recipe (University of Alaska Fairbanks, written for Alaska species; University of Maine’s dandelion jelly), or a process that is safe only with a pH meter; follow it exactly, never improvise. No tested recipe: refrigerate or freeze, don’t can. “Hot-bottled syrup” = maple and walnut syrup, which keep when bottled hot at full syrup density. The Canning line names the exact product each source covers, for example “whole berries” or “juice”; a product not named there (such as juice from a berry with only a whole-berry recipe) has no tested recipe.
Keeping basis: what this means
“Specific to this plant” or “general guidance for its type” (for example NCHFP guidance for leafy greens applied to a wild green).
Nutrition
Not researched: in October 2026, only the calendar’s plants of the month and chicory leaves were researched.
Native or not
Basswood (T. americana) is native. Many DC street lindens are planted non-natives: littleleaf linden T. cordata (Europe to central Siberia; USDA PLANTS: introduced) and silver linden T. tomentosa (southeastern Europe & western Asia). None are on VA DCR, MDA or MISC lists.
- Origin
- native
- Native range
- eastern North America
- Virginia invasive rank
- not listed
- Maryland invasive status
- not listed
Native or not, and the invader stars: what this means
Origin is where the plant comes from: native, non-native, or mixed (the harvest covers both). The stars rate plants on invasive plant lists: ★★★ Virginia DCR “High” or Maryland prohibited invasive · ★★ Virginia “Medium” · ★ Virginia “Low” · ☆ listed only by the Maryland Invasive Species Council or the Mid-Atlantic Plant Invaders guide (advisory) · no stars: native or not listed.
Virginia DCR, Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective September 2024), verbatim: "Under the DCR Invasive Species Assessment Protocol, approved by the Virginia Invasive Species Working Group, January 2024, species were ranked as exhibiting high, medium or low levels of invasiveness based on their threat to natural communities and native species. Invasiveness rank is higher for species that: • Alter ecosystem processes, such as succession, hydrology or fire regime. • Are capable of invading undisturbed natural communities. • Cause substantial impacts on rare or vulnerable species or natural communities or high-quality examples of more common communities. • Are found widely distributed and generally abundant where present. • Disperse readily to new areas. • Are difficult to control." The list also states: "The list is for educational purposes only and has no regulatory authority."
Maryland Department of Agriculture, Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations page, verbatim: "Plants on the Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List may not be added to stock after the effective date and should not be sold after their phase-out period ends."
No official DC invasive plant list was found.
How the ratings were set
- Find
- Everywhere Estimate 1,929 = 281 research-grade iNaturalist sightings within 25 km + 1,105 needs-ID sightings counted in full (the harvest is the whole genus) + 543 'cultivated' (planted) sightings (rule A); that is tier 1 by count (rule B). Rule C (everyday place) is met: DC’s street-tree inventory lists 5,664 living lindens, more than one per km of DC sidewalk (2,406). Final tier 1.
- Effort
- Quick kitchen prep Gather the nutlets, crack each hard shell (between the teeth works, Practical Self Reliance) and eat the small kernel inside (Foraging Texas); roasting and grinding them for a coffee-like drink also takes under half an hour.
Find: what this means
1 Everywhere · 2 Common in the right habitat · 3 Patchy · 4 Elusive. This is about how much there is, not whether you may pick it. It is based on iNaturalist sightings within 25 km (about 15 miles) of downtown DC, counted on October 3, 2026. The four rules that each plant’s “Find” reason refers to: (A) the estimate is the confirmed sightings, plus the unconfirmed ones (scaled down where the plant has lookalikes in its genus), plus the sightings marked as planted; (B) the tier by estimate: 1,500 or more is tier 1, 250–1,499 tier 2, 50–249 tier 3, under 50 tier 4; (C) tier 1, Everywhere, also needs a source saying the plant is common in lawns, sidewalks, yards or gardens, vacant lots or towns, or at least one DC street tree of it per km of sidewalk, otherwise it is tier 2; (D) if a reliable source says the plant is rare in this region, or that wild plants rarely bear the harvest, only planted sightings count. iNaturalist is a website and phone app where people post photos of the plants and animals they see. A sighting is “research grade” when other users have confirmed what it is; “needs ID” sightings are not confirmed yet, and “cultivated” ones are marked as planted.
Effort: what this means
1 Grab & eat · 2 Quick kitchen prep (under about 30 minutes) · 3 Real work (hours, or cooking needed for safety) · 4 Project (days or equipment). Scored on the simplest worthwhile use; each plant’s page says why.
Sources
29 sources, each linked to the original.
- C&O Canal NHP Superintendent’s Compendium, effective September 11, 2026 National Park Service, Chesapeake and Ohio Canal NHPBacks up: picking rules
- Rock Creek Park Superintendent’s Compendium (2026) National Park ServiceBacks up: picking rules
- 4VAC5-30-50. Flowers, plants, minerals, etc. Virginia Law Library (law.lis.virginia.gov)Backs up: picking rules
- 36 CFR 2.1 - Preservation of natural, cultural and archeological resources Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School (text of federal regulation)Backs up: picking rules
- Maryland man fined $50 for picking berries ReasonBacks up: picking rules
- Basswood, Tilia americana L. (Plant Guide, 2001) USDA NRCSBacks up: description, season, habitat
- Tilia americana (American Basswood) NC State Extension Gardener Plant ToolboxBacks up: description, season, safety
- American basswood (Silvics of North America) USDA Forest ServiceBacks up: description, season, uses
- Identifying and Using Linden Trees: Edible Leaves, Flowers, Seeds, Sap and Bark (Ashley Adamant, updated May 2025) Practical Self RelianceBacks up: description, season, uses, keeping
- Basswood Tree, Linden, Lime Tree (Green Deane) Eat The WeedsBacks up: description, uses
- Basswood/Linden Foraging Texas (Mark Vorderbruggen)Backs up: description, uses, season, safety, habitat
- iNaturalist research-grade observations of Tilia (genus) within 25 km of downtown DC iNaturalistBacks up: findability
- Native Trees of Maryland - The Tree That Sings: American Basswood (Tilia americana) University of Maryland ExtensionBacks up: habitat
- Annotated Checklist of the Vascular Plants of the Washington-Baltimore Area, Part I (Shetler & Orli, 2000) Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Department of BotanyBacks up: habitat
- DC street-tree inventory (DDOT Urban Forestry, UFA Street Trees layer): living trees by species, queried 2026-10-05 (5,664 living lindens, Tilia) District of Columbia (DDOT Urban Forestry Division, via DC GIS)Backs up: habitat, findability
- USDA PLANTS Database: Tilia americana (TIAM), native status USDA NRCSBacks up: native or invasive status
- USDA PLANTS Database: Tilia cordata (TICO2), native status USDA NRCSBacks up: native or invasive status
- USDA PLANTS Database: Tilia tomentosa (TITO), native status USDA NRCSBacks up: native or invasive status
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Tilia cordata (Country or Region of Origin) North Carolina State University ExtensionBacks up: native or invasive status
- NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox: Tilia tomentosa (Country or Region of Origin) North Carolina State University ExtensionBacks up: native or invasive status
- Virginia Invasive Plant Species List (effective date: September 2024) Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation, Division of Natural HeritageBacks up: native or invasive status
- Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant Law and Regulations (Maryland Prohibited Invasive Plant List, updated January 2026; additions effective July 15, 2026; 'Next Plants To Be Assessed' 2026-2027) Maryland Department of Agriculture, Plant Protection & Weed ManagementBacks up: native or invasive status
- Non-Native Invasive Terrestrial Plant Species in the State of Maryland (updates approved through the April 18, 2024 MISC meeting) Maryland Invasive Species CouncilBacks up: native or invasive status
- Plant Invaders of Mid-Atlantic Natural Areas, Field Guide (Swearingen & Fulton, 2022; successor to the NPS/USFWS 5th ed., 2017) Mid-Atlantic Invasive Plant Council / Passiflora Press (hosted by Bugwood/Mid-Atlantic Invaders Tool)Backs up: native or invasive status
- Invasive Plants in the District DC Department of Energy & EnvironmentBacks up: native or invasive status
- Linden / basswood observations within 25 km of DC, by day (flowering annotation, all quality grades) iNaturalistBacks up: season
- Linden / basswood observations within 25 km of DC, by month (fruiting annotation, all quality grades) iNaturalistBacks up: season
- Tilia americana (Fire Effects Information System species review) USDA Forest ServiceBacks up: season, habitat
- Food Safety and Preservation: Nuts & Seeds Washington State University Extension, Lewis CountyBacks up: storage, keeping