That sounds right. This raises some questions. Most of my parent's trees were lost to disease, wind damage, and wind-propelled salt spray. This tree was one of the few survivors. It hasn't lost any limbs. However, it's leaves are filled with tiny holes, and the web says in theory American Basswood aren't very salt tolerant. Should I plant more, or not?

No, I don't think it does. Firstly, the leaves on Nippers are held at 90 degrees from the pets, not upright like Emerald Cup. Secondly, they are much more folded than Emerald Cup. Notice the folding in a few leaves in the lower right of my picture. On every Nippers plant I've seen, there have been a number of leaves with that same folded pattern. In the pic I posted, which is the original clump, those folds hold rainwater. That's is what makes it instantly recognizable for me, even from a distance. Steve

Thanks Sparky, the flower shape is like the one on my purple sage but the flowers are individual rather than in a column. The leaves are heart shape finger nail size and rather thin or frail. It looks like maybe some sort of mint but the odor is not particularly minty. Today is rainy and the scent is barely noticeable. Flower also has a small purple filament extending from the opening. The color contrast is striking. Guess I could take a photo and send it to you. BB

@HU-588717573 this is really interesting to see, thanks for sharing! If you're based in New Zealand, I may be able to offer a cutting, but I don't know about sending plants overseas, I imagine there could be strict import/biosecurity restrictions etc. That is really interesting to hear about the pollination with Woodii. If that is true, then it only raises more questions about how Spades came to be, but could make sense as the flower really is very different to Woodii. Both the Spades leaf and flower feel quite similar to my Rendallii: