MADE BY: LAURENTIU BADEA – Romania MARTYNAS RASTIKIS - Lithuania

Tilia is a genus of about 30 species of trees native throughout most of the temperate Northern Hemisphere. They are generally called lime in Britain and linden or basswood in North America. The greatest species diversity is found in Asia, and the genus also occurs in Europe and eastern North America, but not western North America.

Tilia species are large deciduous trees, reaching typically 20 to 40 metres (66 to 130 ft) tall, with oblique-cordate leaves 6 to 20 centimetres (2 to 8 in) across. The exact number of species is subject to considerable uncertainty, as many or most of the species willhybridise readily, both in the wild and in cultivation.

The Tilia of Neuenstadt am Kocher in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, was computed to be 1000 years old when it fell. The Alte Linde tree of Naters, Switzerland, is mentioned in a document in 1357 and described by the writer at that time as alreadymagnam (huge). A plaque at its foot mentions that in 1155 a linden tree was already on this spot. LEAF FOSSILBole of an ancient Tilia

The linden is recommended as an ornamental tree when a mass of foliage or a deep shade is desired. The tree produces fragrant and nectar-producing flowers, the medicinal herb lime blossom. The timber of linden trees is soft and easily worked; it has very little grain and a density of 560 kg per cubic metre. During the Viking era, it was often used for constructing shields. It is a popular wood for model building and intricate carving. TILLIA FRUIT

In Europe and beyond, countless legends and superstitions are centered around the tree and linden blossom. Traditionally, lime wood was used for carving of religious works, lime is considered, on the other hand, a tree of the village and having an important role in early European world. Lime was seen as sacred because they have preference bees from flower qualities of honey and lime, is sometimes called "bee tree." In some regions, the sacred aura of lime was so great that those who dared to cut such a tree could not expect anything other than the death penalty. LIMEWOOD SCULPTURE

Herbalism Most medicinal research has focused on Tilia cordata, although other species are also used medicinally and somewhat interchangeably. The dried flowers are mildly sweet and sticky, and the fruit is somewhat sweet and mucilaginous. Limeflower tea has a pleasing taste, due to the aromatic volatile oil found in the flowers. The flowers, leaves, wood, and charcoal (obtained from the wood) are used for medicinal purposes. Active ingredients in the Tilia flowers include flavonoids (which act as antioxidants) and volatile oils. The plant also contains tannins that can act as an astringent. Linden flowers are used in herbalism 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. New evidence shows that the flowers may be hepatoprotective. The wood is used for liver and gallbladder disorders and cellulitis (inflammation of the skin and surrounding soft tissue). That wood burned to charcoal is ingested to treat intestinal disorders and used topically to treat edema or infection such as cellulitis or ulcers of the lower leg. Usually, the double-flowered species are used to make perfumes. The leaf buds and young leaves are also edible raw. Tilia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species; see List of Lepidoptera that feed on Tilia.