Taking the limelight

• Lime blossom is the queen of honey plants and a single tree is capable of producing 40lb of the sweet stuff. The bees can become so intoxicated after visiting lime blossom that they have to sober up on a landing board before being allowed back into the hive

• The father of Carl Linnaeus, the Swedish botanist, took his Latinised surname from a giant linden tree that grew in the garden of his family home

• Feeding lime branches to cattle is said to improve milk production

• The scent of a blossoming lime travels miles and can be stronger further away

• When the immature fruits are ground up with the flowers, they produce an edible paste that tastes a bit like chocolate