Sassafras
Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees

Mature Size: 20 to 40 feet in height and 1 to 1½ feet in diameter.

Form: Small tree with an irregular, often twisted trunk and flat-topped crown, often forming thickets.

Habitat: Open woods and abandoned fields, especially on moist sandy loam soils.

Leaves

Alternate, simple, 4 to 6 inches long, with smooth edges and three distinct leaf forms: oval, mitten-shaped and 3-lobed; fragrant when crushed; fall color yellow, orange or crimson.

Flowers

Small but showy, bright yellow-green, clustered along 2 inch stalks, appearing in early to mid-spring; males and females on separate trees.

Fruit

On female trees only; shiny, dark blue egg-shaped, berrylike, 1/3 inch long, with a thin, fleshy covering on the hard seed; each fruit is held in a red cup on an upright red stalk; maturing in late summer.

Bark

Thick, red-brown and deeply furrowed; inner bark cinnamon-colored.

Values and Uses

The wood is soft, weak and brittle. It is sometimes used for fence posts, barrels, buckets, interior trim, cabinets and firewood. The roots and bark contain an oil used for perfumes and flavoring. The dried leaves are ground into filé powder, a popular ingredient in Creole cooking. The berries are a favorite of many songbirds, and the foliage is browsed by deer and small mammals. Because it readily forms thickets on disturbed sites, sassafras can be valuable as a soil stabilizer.

Did You Know?

Sassafras was used medicinally by Native Americans, and early American colonists exported it to Europe as a cure-all. At one time, sassafras was the main flavoring in root beer, and the roots were brewed into a popular tea. Sassafras tea and flavoring fell out of favor in the 1960s, when scientists found that the chemical safrole can cause cancer. Modern products flavored with sassafras have been treated to remove the safrole.

Last modified: Monday, 10-Mar-2008 20:23:26 UTC