Łódź, Łagiewniki Forest

It is native to eastern North America from Quebec to Minnesota south to Florida and eastern Texas. Ornamental plant, in Poland since XVIII century. Edible plant - the sap contains sugar and this can be used as a drink or be concentrated into a syrup by boiling off the water, the syrup is used as a sweetener on many foods; inner bark , it is dried, ground into a powder and then used as a thickening in soups etc or mixed with cereals when making bread; seeds cooked, the wings are removed and the seeds boiled then eaten hot. Herbal plant - the bark has astringent properties and has been used as an application for sore eyes; an infusion of the bark has been used to treat cramps and dysentery. Useful plant - the boiled inner bark yields a purple colour, which mixed with lead sulphate produces a black dye which can also be used as an ink; this dye is dark blue according to another report; the heartwood is light brown, often somewhat tinged with red; the thick band of sapwood is rither lighter coloured; the wood is close grained, not strong, but hard and very heavy.