Saturday, October 15, 2011
Basswood
Tilia americana, basswood (or lime, or linden in Europe) are big deciduous trees in eastern Canada. This one is growing near Lake Huron in Ontario.
It's interesting; basswoods don't attract a lot of attention but they have been used by people for a wide variety of reasons over the centuries. Lime is the classic carving wood for medieval church sculptures. The flowers have been used for medicinal reasons. I remember when I was a kid, my Dad would cut small branches from this tree in the spring and make slide whistles for me and my brother.
According to this article a whistle can also be made from willow.
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