By Kim Walker
Featuring ‘Lipa in Polish Culutre’ by Szymon Szyszczakiewicz
Contents: History, Identification, harvesting, medicine, food, material, Polish culture.
Summer time is flower time, and one of the loveliest to gather is the fragrant blossom from the linden tree. To me, this gathering signals the peak of summer and I highly recommend arranging a hot and sunny picnic-party with a group of friends to enjoy a gorgeous honey-scented harvest. Because linden is usually a big tree, and hands can only reach so far, a lot of blossom can be harvested without taking too much, leaving lots for pollinators and wildlife.
Linden, aka lime blossom (Tilia sp.), not related to the citrus lime, has a deep history of use. It was one of the main trees which filled post-ice-age Britain 10,000 years ago, so we have long lived aside it. Its all round usefulness has assured a place in folklore across Europe, where there are many stories, songs and rituals celebrating it. In this blog I will briefly discuss its ID, use as a food, medicine, material and touch upon the rich culture around this plant - giving you further reading to fully immerse yourself in linden blossom ethnobotany.
Identification
In the UK, the native species is small-leaved lime, Tilia cordata. In Europe there are many others but the key ones are large-leaved lime (T. platyphyllos) and the naturally occurring fertile hybrid between the two species known as Tilia × europaea. This is the one commonly found planted in towns and cities, dropping its nectar over cars and causing motorists to complain about the sticky cleaning.
Does it matter which species you use? Not really, but the difference (for fun) is in the table below. Follow the sound of excited bees and the scent of deep honey in mid to late june to find these short-blooming trees. Overall, the leaves are cordate (heart-shaped), and once you have seen the distinctive flowers (see the image), there is little to confuse it with.
L-R The reddish ‘fuzzy armpits’ in the vein axils of the linden leaf can be seen here in the T. cordata (see ID table), Wikimedia Commons and white fuzzy axils of the European (T. x europaea), Wikimedia Commons. Picking the flower and the bract; The yellow stamens of the flowers, Wikimedia Commons; brown, lemon-shaped T. cordata fruits, Wikimedia Commons; The white, fuzzy, hard fruits of the large leaved linden (T. platyphyllos).
Table 1: Linden Identification
| Species | Small-leaved (T. cordata) | Large-leaved (T. platyphyllos) | European (T.× europaea) |
|---|---|---|---|
| HAIRS | Red bunches of hairs (like hairy ‘armpits’ in the axils of the leaf veins (see image) | White down spread all over leaf | Pale red bunches of hairs (like hairy ‘armpits’ in the axils of the leaf veins (see image) |
| SEEDS | Brown fuzz-covered. Lemon shaped with ridges Easy to squash | White fuzz-covered. Lemon shaped with ridges Hard to squash | Pale brown tangerine (rounder) shaped seeds. |
| OTHER | N/A | Mature leaves twice the size of the small variety. 40-130 mm in diameter | Makes lots of suckers at base that are often chopped back giving older trees a ‘carbuncle’ at base |
Another, rarer, and non-UK native found occasionally in parks is the silver lime (T. tomentosa) This is the one famed for killing bees who get so drunk on the nectar they pass out. Read more about this here. It has distinctive white undersides to the leaves (and likely a lot of dead bees around it). Though I haven’t used it in medicine, it is documented as a medicinal and edible in Turkey.
Harvesting
Once you see it in flower, be quick, it doesn’t stay around long. Note that to harvest the linden blossom, you gather both the flowers and the bract (though in some places in Europe they only gather the flowers). The bract is the pale ‘strap-like’ leaf that the flower blossoms dangle from. Harvest just as the flowers open - sometimes the clusters are still partly in bud. Note the fresh plant stamen colour - a yellow green, and the pollinated flower stamen (brown). Try and get as many unpollinated flowers as possible. Once they are all brown, this means they are dying back and tend to be more sedative in a heavy, unpleasant way.
Food
Before they get tough and hairy, the young spring leaves are a translucent bright ‘lime’ green and add a succulent and tasty addition to the salad bowl, sandwiches and pesto. Linden is a member of Malvaceae, the marshmallow family, a feature of which are high levels of the constituent known as ‘mucilage’. Mucilage is a gloopy polysaccharide (sugar) found in high amounts of the roots of marshmallow plant (Althaea officinalis). Squishy, sweet marshmallow sweets were originally made from this, but now gelatin is more often used. Similarly, the mouthfeel of linden leaves are smooth and mucilaginous.
Teas - walk into any Turkish or Polish shop and you’ll find packets of linden blossom tisanes. It is valued across Europe for its post-dinner ability to settle digestion, aid sleep and pleasant taste. In France it is known as Tilleul, in Polish, Lipka, and in Turkey, ıhlamur.
Fermented tea - the blossoms also make a beautiful fermented tea. Read about how to do this here, simply replace the lilac flowers with the flowers (and bracts) of the linden.
Deep red decotion of fresh T. cordata leaves. Image sarah cuttle for Handmade Apothecary
Medicine
Most herbalists will have linden on their dispensary shelves, it is a highly valued medicinal. Used as an anxiolytic, it steady nerves and eases nervous insomnia. It is also a mild hypotensive used in mixes for reducing mild-moderate high blood pressure. The flowers are made into tinctures and teas, but the real trick to its medicinal use is not simply as an infusion, but to decoct. On decoction, the light golden brew, perfect for after dinner develops a deep brown-red colour (see image). The French herbalist Maurice Mességué recorded how locals in his area of the South of France would boil up a decoction of the blossoms to bathe small children in, reheating the pot each night (to a safe temp) to dip fractious children in before bed.
Extract from Maurice Mességués, Of men and plants (1973). Read the book here: https://archive.org/details/ofmenplantsautob0000mess/page/2/mode/2up
“Recipe for a decoction
My favourite medicinal and non-alcoholic social lubricant - great for those who wish to avoid alcohol at parties, but would like similar non-sedative relaxing properties.
- A handful of fresh or dried linden blossom
- A small pan
- Enough water to cover
Bring the pan of blossoms and water to a gentle simmer, then place on the lid, turn off the heat and allow to cool. Ideally leave overnight. The decoction should turn a deep brown or red (depending on species and if fresh or dry is used). Take a small cup as needed. Alternatively, put some blossoms in a thermos flask of hot water and leave for a few hours for the same result.”
Material
A tough fibre can be produced from the inner bark, known as bast, which has been used for string and rope making since at least Mesolithic times. I remember visiting the Vikings exhibition at the British Museum in 2014 and noting that excavations had revealed that ship ropes were made from lime bast - it was wonderful to see the heritage of the use of a plant from then until now.
The name ‘linden’ comes from the Proto-Germanic lindjo, meaning flexible (bast), similarly the name ‘lime’ probably comes from the same root as a corruption of ‘line’. Read more about rope making in history here https://academic.oup.com/forestry/article/78/1/65/684965 and here https://www.vikingeskibsmuseet.dk/en/professions/boatyard/building-projects/gislingeboat-2015/the-gislinge-blog/show/lime-bast-rope-for-the-gislinge-boats-rig-1
Culture
It is no wonder that many of our most ‘valuable’ plants, that is those that help support human life grow a great deal of ritual around them and become part of our culture. The more the plant is respected, the more it is protected. After all, we can’t all just take, we also have to give. The linden in many places is the tree found at the centre of the village for meetings, marriages and death announcements. Read more about its history here, but if you have a library, I recommend reading up about it in the book, the Compendium Of Symbolic And Ritual Plants In Europe by Marcel de Cleene and Marie Claire Lejeune.
Before I go, here are two lovely things to do:
Read this poem about two secret lovers under a linden tree translated from the Middle High German (1050-1350 AD) Under der linden - Wikipedia,
Listen to this (new) folk song from Poland. ‘Zielona lipka’ [green linden] by a family of musicians who make the group Kapela Maliszów. The song is about someone sitting under a linden tree thinking about their life https://youtu.be/WTxtoPE9Tn8?si=HY7UYXTVS9YEuZZq
If you would like to cultivate in-depth plant knowledge , why not join us for a an immersive workshop?
Kim
Bonus content: The ‘Lipa’ Polish Culture by Szymon
As much as this post is for you to learn from and take something away, I cannot resist sharing personal experiences. The lime tree is dear to me and always has been.
I grew up in the shade of a huge, probably 200-year-old Tilia. It sheltered our house from the baking sun in the summer and gave me plenty to do in the autumn. I was responsible for making sure the front of the house looked presentable and tidy. I spent hours cleaning the cobbles, picking up the leaves, and wheeling them up to the compost pile. Yes, my parents made sure that kids had something useful to do.
I spent days sitting at the base of that tree, listening to the buzzing of bees and inhaling the soothing aroma of the flowers. July is called "Lipiec" in Polish, which translates to "Month of Flowering Limes". This gives you an indication of the cultural significance of this tree for Poles.
Almost every town in Poland has a street called Lipowa [Lipova] Street, often lined with lime trees that live up to expectations.
My grandfather used to make whistles from young linden branches. It was truly magical to see him using his curved grafting blade to make incisions and gently knock to loosen up the bark. That will only work in the spring, before leaf buds open.
In the video below, you can see a similar whistle made with willow: Watch the video.
Linden honey is one of my favourites. We had ten beehives, and linden honey was always one of the first to be eaten each year. We never gave it a chance to set.
Kim has covered the medical properties. I’ll add just one more. It has powerful diaphoretic properties. Sweating can be quite uncomfortable and not something many people want to experience or mention, hence it was moved into the taboo territory of our nature. Yet perspiration helps not only with cooling of our bodies during hot temperatures but also helps to get rid of unwanted metabolites. Mainly for this reason, my mom and grandmothers used to make us tea when we felt miserable.
Freshly picked lime flowers drying technique.
This is how tree in Słowieńsko, then Schlenzig, outside my family home looked like over 100 years ago.
First tree on the left still stands too. Now coppiced to accommodate for the power lines below.
This is how it looked last year. Now my children are playing under the same tree. Notice how pavement was build around the tree. It took my dad a few months to convince the council that they are ok to go with the public path on my parent’s property. All to save that tree.
Memories, whistles, teas, honey, food, songs, poems, paintings, carvings, and even months are named after this majestic and magical tree. Worth admiring, using and of course planting.
We hope you enjoy and grow your own Linden memories. Happy Gathering!
Kim & Szymon