AMERICAN MEDICINAL FLOWEES, FRUITS, AND SEEDS. 



11 



Habitat and range. — This native forest tree is found in rich woods, especially 

 along tbe mountains, from Canada to Georgia, west to Texas and Nebraska. 



Description. — The American linden attains great size, from 60 to 125 feet in 

 height, with a trunk diameter of 2 to 5 feet, and spreading branches. The 

 leaves are somewhat leathery in texture, smooth on both sides or sometimes 

 hairy on the veins of the under side. They are obliquely oval in outline, with 

 sharply toothed margin, pointed at the apex, and heart shaped at the base, 

 and are borne on stems 

 about an inch or two in 

 length. 



From about May to 

 June the tree is loaded 

 with drooping clusters of 

 6 to 20 yellowish, very 

 fragrant flowers. At the 

 base of each flower 

 cluster and partly grown 

 to it is a large bract 

 (or leaflike part) 2 to 4 

 inches in length, very- 

 pale green, and strongly 

 veined. The fruit is 

 roundish, greenish gray, 

 dry and woody, and con- 

 tains one or two seeds. 

 (Fig. 8.) This tree be- 

 longs to the linden fam- 

 ily (Tiliacese). 



Collection, uses, and 

 prices. — The flowers are 

 the parts employed me- 

 dicinally. These are col- 

 lected in May or June 

 and carefully dried in the 

 shade. The very sweet 

 odor is lost in drying. 

 The taste is mucilagi- 

 nous and sweetish. 



An infusion of the flowers has been very much used as a domestic remedy for 

 headaches, indigestion, and for breaking up colds. The flowers of other species 

 of linden are also employed. 



Linden flowers at present are quoted at 35 cents a pound. 



POISON HEMLOCK. 

 Conium maculatum L. 



Pig. 8. — American linden (Tilia americana), leaves, flowers, 

 and fruits. 



Pliarmacopceial name. — Conium. 



Other common names. — Spotted parsley, spotted cowbane, poison parsley, St. 

 Rennet's-herb, bad-man's-oatmeal, wode-whistle, cashes, bunk, heck-how, poison 

 root, spotted hemlock, spotted conium, poison snakeweed, beaver poison. 



