BASSWOOD
Common Names: Basswood, Tilia Tree.
Scientific Name: Tilia americana
When to Find: All year.
Where to Find: NE quarter of U.S. and adjacent Canada.
Parts Used: Buds, flowers, fruit, inner bark, seeds, and leaves.
Preparation: Eat buds raw or cooked. Sun dry flowers and use to make tea. Crush fruit in hot water as a chocolate substitute. Strip inner bark for fiber to make line or rope.
Storage: Sun dry various parts and store in an airtight container.
Identification: Large tree with gray deeply furrowed bark having scaly ridges. Nutlike fruits. Leaves have a long pointed heart shape, and are coarsely toothed.
