(, ROW Til (>1 A140MATJC SASSAFKAS 



The aromatic and pungent fragrance of bark and leaves of this tree are well known. 

 It reaches a height of 70 to 90 feet under favorable conditions. The young shoots are 

 sparsely downy at first, but the heavier growth is covered with a rough bark. The fruit, 

 which is a dark blue, roundish oval and about three-quarters of an inch long, is produced 

 from greenish-yellow flowers which are borr.e in May, the sexes being on separate trees. 

 Photograph by courtesy of U. S. Forest Service. (.Fig. 12.) 



severe frost. althouj?h when young the 

 foliage is sometimes crippled. It pre- 

 fers a warm, loamy soil, where it 

 grows well. 



The only other species of sassafras 

 known, 5. tzuntu (Fig. 12), is fomid in 

 many places in China. There are 

 minor dilTerences in the structure of 

 the flower, and the young shoots and 

 leaves are smf)oth. The leaves, with 

 the principal veins, are reddish, and 

 much of the young wood is |)ur]:)le- 

 spotted. The Chinese species attains 

 a height of 50 feet, and produces a 

 timber which is highly prized by the 

 276 



mountaineers of the 

 is found wild. 



regions where it 



CHINESE HICKORY DISCOVERED 



Up to a short time ago. it was believed 

 that the Hickory {Carya sp.) was con- 

 fined entirely to the United States, 

 where a score of distinct sj^ecies are 

 found. A rtimor of a supposed Hickory 

 growing in China was traced some 

 years ago to the Candle Xut tree, and it 

 was not until the discovery of Carya 

 cathaycnsis by the late Frank X. Meyer, 

 of the office of Foreign Seed and Plant 

 Introduction U. S. Department of Agri- 



