Dreamcatcher Alpacas
Plant safety · Safe

Can Alpacas Eat Linden & Basswood?

Linden & Basswood (Tilia spp.) — a tree. Here is what alpaca owners need to know.

Updated 2026-10-02By the Dreamcatcher Alpacas editorial team
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Yes — linden & basswood is safe for alpacas.

It is acceptable forage or browse in normal amounts.

Linden & Basswood (Tilia spp.)
Linden & Basswood (Tilia spp.). Photo: Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen, Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Status
Safe
Scientific name
Tilia spp.
Family
Malvaceae
Plant type
Tree
Also known as
Lime tree, Basswood, Lime

Feeding notes

Soft, palatable leaves; safe browse.

How to offer it

  1. Introduce any new forage or browse gradually over a week or two.
  2. Make sure it is fresh — avoid moldy, wilted piles or plants sprayed with herbicide.
  3. Keep a balanced diet: grass or hay first, with a camelid mineral available.

About the plant

Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees or bushes, native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The species are known as linden or lime for the European and Asian species, and linden or basswood for North American species and more generally in American literature. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, but the genus also occurs widely in Europe and eastern North America. Under the Cronquist classification system, this genus was placed in the family Tiliaceae, but genetic research summarised by the Angiosperm Phylogeny Group has resulted in the incorporation of this genus, and of most of the previous family, into the Malvaceae.From Wikipedia — “Tilia”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Where it grows

GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility, holds 1,253,326 recorded observations of Tilia L. worldwide, including 153,086 in the United States. It belongs to the Malvaceae family, together with Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus). See the occurrence map on GBIF.

Frequently asked questions

Can alpacas eat linden & basswood?
Yes. Soft, palatable leaves; safe browse.
How much linden & basswood can an alpaca eat?
As part of a varied diet based on grass or grass hay, it can be eaten freely. Introduce new browse gradually.

Keeping pastures safe

  • Walk every paddock and fence line each season and remove toxic plants, including roots.
  • Never throw garden, hedge or lawn clippings over the fence.
  • Check pastures after storms for fallen branches (cherry, red maple).
  • Buy hay from known sources and inspect it for weeds.
  • Keep pastures well managed — hungry alpacas eat plants they would normally avoid.

Browse the full toxic plant checker, the printable list of poisonous plants and the list of safe plants.

This page is educational and does not replace advice from a veterinarian who has examined your animals. Camelid medicine uses many drugs “extra-label”, so dosing must come from your vet. In an emergency, call your vet first. Read our disclaimer · How we write and review content.

Data: plant status compiled from veterinary toxicology references (see sources); taxonomy and occurrences from GBIF; identifiers from Wikidata Q127849.