Kalonka, near Łódź

Native to eastern and central Europe and western Asia, from Spain east to Russia, north to southern Scandinavia and southeast to northern Iran. It was introduced to North America in the mid-1700s as a shade tree. Edible plant - the sap contains a certain amount of sugar and can either be used as a drink, or can be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water. Usable plant - a rose coloured dye is obtained from the bark; the heartwood is white and not clearly demarcated from the sapwood, is close-grained, hard and heavy; the trees are fairly wind tolerant and are often used in to give protection from the wind in mixed shelterbelts.