Łódź, Park Poniatowskiego

Native to eastern and central United States and southeastern Canada. Edible plant - the sap contains sugar and can be used as a drink or be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water; seeds cooked, the wings are removed and the seeds boiled then eaten hot; inner bark cooked, it is dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups or mixed with cereals when making bread. Herbal plant - an infusion of the bark is used in the treatment of coughs, cramps and dysentery; an infusion of the inner bark is used internally in the treatment of diarrhoea; an infusion of the root bark has been used in the treatment of gonorrhoea. Useful plant - a fairly wind-tolerant tree, it can be used in shelterbelt plantings; the stems are used in making baskets; the heartwood is pale brown, the thick layer of sapwood somewhat lighter, the wood is rather brittle, close-grained, hard, strong, easily worked but not durable, it takes a good polish.