Lime Flowers

Lime Flowers borne by the European lime or linden tree, Tilia platyphyllos, and other Tilia spp (including T. americana, the linden or basswood tree of N. America), are dried to make lime tea, popular in France, Spain, and elsewhere for its relaxing properties, but are also used sometimes to flavour dessert creams and similar confections.

A French chemist, Missa, discovered that a paste made from the fruits and flowers of the linden was a ‘perfect’ substitute in taste and texture for chocolate, except that it would not keep; an episode about which Fernald and Kinsey (1943) provide interesting details.