Tiliaceae family
Features:
- The crown of the small-leaved lime is conical or almost round, and its wood is soft and light.
- The leaves are oval, 5-7 cm long, asymmetrical, cordate-shouldered, acuminate-tipped, with crenate-serrated edges.
- The yellowish flowers are fragrant. The upright positioned inflorescences are composed of 5-15 flowers in clusters. They have membranous, yellowish-green, tongue-like bracts fused at the base to the inflorescence axis.
Habitat: It can be found in deciduous, mixed forests, from lowlands to lower mountains, often planted along roadsides, walkways, gardens, and parks.
Medicinal use:
Lime tree inflorescences contain some mucilaginous substance and a small amount of volatile oil. The latter contains farnesol, an open-chain sesquiterpene alcohol. The flavonoids of the plant are quercetin, astragalin, and their glycosides.
Warning:
Unfortunately, the inflorescences picked from trees on the side of the road in urban areas are polluted, which may do more harm than good to a patient. It is advisable, and not only in this case essential, that the collected product comes from a clean, unpolluted environment.
