Tilia americana

Scientific Name: Tilia americana
Common Name: American basswood
Global Conservation Status: G5 - Secure

Lop-sided heart-shaped leaves with saw-toothed edges help identify American basswood tree. Barely emerging in picture: flowers that dangle from papery, surfboard-shaped structures. When mature, dangling little brown balls (the fruit) "hang-glide" to the ground, twirling as they go.
Photographer: Flickr user .Bambo.

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ID tip: Don't confuse this tree's leaves with red or white mulberry (Morus spp.). The margins of basswood are sharply saw-toothed/jagged, but the margins of mulberry are tightly scalloped/rounded. Besides, if you look hard enough on a mulberry tree you'll find a few irregularly shaped leaves (with extra tips, sort of like sassafras), but not on basswood.

† The conservation status of a species is designated by a number from 1 (critically imperiled) to 5 (secure), preceded by a letter reflecting the geographic scale of the assessment (G = Global, S = Subnational). More information is available through NatureServe Explorer.