Sassafras

Sassafras
Sassafras albidum

Sassafras is a cool tree, starting with it's name, then on to the uniquely shaped leaves, the beautiful fall color, the reddish bark, the odor of the leaves, the root beer roots, the fire-starting twigs, and so on.

It's unclear where the name came from. It was first mentioned in the 1500's and could well be derived from a Native American word.

The leaves can have zero lobes, one lobe or two lobes. Some trees have all three shapes of leaves. However, I've seen trees that have only had leaves with zero lobes, so it can be a bit confusing if you're looking for the mitten shaped leaves.

The fall color of the leaves is probably the prettiest orange color of any tree.  I don't have any pics of them in this blog, but I'll look for some this fall and add them if I get a good one.

The bark can be helpful in identification, having deep furrows and a rich reddish-brown color.

When you get a chance, rub some leaves and smell them.  They smell like Fruit Loops!

Root beer was originally made from Sassafras roots, although now it's only made from artificial flavoring.  It was actually fermented and had a low alcohol content, so it was literally a "root beer".

Sassafras is far more common in southern Indiana than here in the northeast, so I learned something last winter when I was down there.  The local folks use Sassafras twigs to start their campfires.  There's some sort of oil in them that burns quite well and catches on even if damp.  Every outdoorsy person down there is an expert at Sassafras twig identification!

There is so much more to say about Sassafras; it's medicinal properties, edibility, Native American uses, wildlife value, etc.  You could write a whole book about Sassafras!

The twigs are green and have a distinct aroma when scratched