Sassafras
(Sassafras
albidum (Nutt.) Ness.)
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Sassafras
is common throughout the state, except in the higher mountains.
Sassafras leaves are 4 to 6 inches long with three distinct leaf
forms. They may be entire (not lobed), or two-to three-lobed on
the same tree or branch. In autumn, leaves turn yellow, orange
or crimson.
The fruit ripens in September and October. It is a dark blue drupe
with a thin, fleshy covering on the hard seed. Each fruit grows
on a stalk 11/2 to 2 inches long.
Roots, twigs and bark of sassafras have a pleasant, spicy scent,
and contain oil of sassafras, which is used as a flavoring. In
the early spring, the tender roots can be peeled and brewed to
make sassafras tea.
The bark of the trunk is thick, red-brown and deeply furrowed.
The bark of the twigs is bright green.
Sassafras is a small tree that often grows 20 to 40 feet tall
and I to 2 feet in diameter. It sprouts readily from stump and
roots and can survive fire. The wood is soft, weak and brittle.
It has a limited use for fence posts. Deer, turkey, bear and many
species of birds eat the fruit in early fall. |
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