Trees for Food – Basswood
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Trees make a tremendous contribution to improving climate
and environment of the planet. Many provide food for birds, insects, animal and
humans. All know of fruits and nuts from trees but the flowers and foliage of
some are excellent as food too. At the present time, when population of humans
on planets has increased to around seven billion, food producing trees must
become the first choice for planting in homes, towns and forests.
An earlier note in this blog described the Moringa or
drumstick tree as an excellent one for food in warmer parts of the planet. Its
foliage, flowers and fruits are all edible. In cooler parts of the planet
another tree, Basswood is an excellent choice as a food tree. It is the best
wild salad plant in North America. Basswood
leaves make a good salad green in spring and early summer, when they are young
and tender. They are best just after the buds open, when the flavor is sweet. Its new leaves and buds are more delicious and
crisp than lettuce and older leaves may be cooked as spinach. The fragrant
flowers of this tree can be used to make perfume or dried to add to tea. Bees
and insects love this tree and the honey produced from it is one of the finest.
The tree has other uses as well. Its soft wood is used for carving to make
beautiful sculptures. It has a fine
light grain and being light in weight, it has been used for centuries for this
purpose, especially in Germany.
The bark yields a fiber similar to jute.
It
is also called linden or lime tree. The
exact number of species is uncertain, as many if not most of the species will hybridize
readily, both in the wild and cultivation. The Tilia species may be propagated by cuttings and grafting, as
well as by seed although it is more difficult to propagate them from seed. They
grow rapidly in rich soil, but are subject to attack of insects.
Linden
flowers are used in herbal medicine for colds, cough, fever, infections,
inflammation, high blood pressure, headache (particularly migraine), and as a
diuretic (increases urine production), antispasmodic (reduces smooth muscle
spasm along the digestive tract), and sedative. The wood is used for liver and
gallbladder disorders and inflammation of the skin and surrounding
soft tissue. The wood burned to charcoal is ingested to treat intestinal
disorders and used topically to treat edema or infection or
ulcers of the lower leg. Therefore aside from its food value this tree is a
medicine chest too.
The basswood is great for wildlife. It tends to become hollow, providing
sites for owls, squirrels and in the forest for larger animals too. The tiny nuts it often
litters over the forest floor are edible to humans, tasting like sunflower
seeds. However, the tiny nuts are difficult for humans to gather. They are a food source for deer mice, squirrels, chipmunks, and other
small animals. Dear readers do plant
some in your home or near you and enjoy this gift from mother earth while
giving a gift to her too by adorning her vacant spaces
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