Arkansas Tree Database

Scientific name:

Sassafras Albidum

Size:

22' tall by 15' wide, up to 80'-90' tall

Leaves:

alternate, simple, 3"-7" long, untoothed, often of three different shapes on same tree: oval, 2-lobed (mitten), and 3-lobed; bright green

Flowers:

pastel yellow-green, in clusters; early spring before leaves unfold

Fruit:

1/2" long shiny dark blue fruit (called a drupe) on long thickened red stalk, quickly falling or eaten by birds

Fall Interest:

exceptional red-orange to yellow; deciduous

Culture:

sun; best in well-drained soil; forming colonies from root sprouts

Disease/Insect:

Use:

host plant for butterflies, including spicebush swallowtail; usually found in fence rows, extremely difficult to transplant

Cultivars:

Notes:

bark on older trees dark gray or reddish brown and deeply furrowed or irregularly broken into broad flat ridges; various parts are edible or used for tea or for fragrance; broken twigs, bruised leaves, and roots are aromatic with sweet fruity fragrance; the bark of the roots yields oil of sassafras; spicy tea made from smaller roots; leaves finely ground to make file' powder, used in Creole cooking as a thickener; native to Arkansas