﻿Trees of Sew York Slate 225 



LAURACEAE 



Sassafras variifolium (Salisb.) Ktze. [Sassafras Sassafras Karst.; Sassafras 

 officinale Xees. and Eborm.] 



Sassafras 



Habit — A medium-sized tree, commonly 40-50 feet in height with a trunk 

 diameter of 1-3 feet, generally shrubby at the northern limits of its 

 range, in the south occasionally 100 feet tail. Trunk short, stout, soon 

 breaking up into many stout, more or less abruptly spreading and con- 

 torted branches to form a flat-topped or rounded-oblong, bushy crown. 



Leaves — Alternate, ovate or obovate, 4-6 inches long, 2-4 inches vride, entire 

 and acute at the apex or 2-3-lobed, the lobes broadly ovate and acute 

 with broad, rounded sinuses. At maturity the leaves are thin, dull dark 

 green above, paler and glabrous or pubescent below, borne on slender 

 petioles, %-l^ inches long. 



Flowers — Appearing in May mth the leaves, dioecious, borne in lax, pilose, 

 few-flowered racemes from the axUs of large, obovate bud-scales. Cah^x 

 pale yellowish green, divided nearly to the base into 6 narrow obovate 

 lobes. Stamens 9, inserted in 3 sets on the margin of the calyx-tube, 

 those of the inner set with orange-colored glands at the base and reduced 

 in the staminate flowers to orange-colored staminodia. Anthers oijening 

 by 4 pores. Pistil consisting of a 1 -celled, light green, glabrous ovar\-, a 

 slender curved style and a capitate stigma. 



Fruit — An oblong, 1-seeded, dark blue, lustrous berry, %-% of an inch 

 long, borne upright on a bright red, club-shaped, fleshy stem which is 

 terminated by the fleshy, obscurely 6-lobed calyx-limb in which the fruit 

 rests, falling soon after maturity from the persisting stalk. 



Winter characters — Twigs slender, smooth and lustrous or somewhat downy, 

 rather brittle, spicy-aromatic, light yellowish green, at length reddish 

 brown. Vigorous shoots branch freely the first season. Inner bark mu- 

 cilaginous. Pith large, white. Terminal bud ovat«, acute, green, ^:!-% 

 of an inch long. Lateral buds smaller and divergent. Mature bark 

 thick, reddish browTi, with deep furrows and flat-topped ridges crossed by 

 horizontal cracks. 



Habitat — Prefers a rich, sandy loam but thrives in a variety of sites along 

 fences, in abandoned pastures, and in open, hardwood forests. 



Range — Central New England west through southern Ontario, southern 

 Michigan to Iowa and eastern Kansas, south to Florida and eastern Texas. 

 Zones A, B and C. 



Uses — Xot an important timber species. Wood soft, brittle, coarse-grained, 

 aromatic, dull orange-brown with pale yellow sapwood, verv' durable in 

 contact with the soil. Used for fence posts, pails, in cooperage, etc. The 

 oil of sassafras which is used to scent soap and liniment, is distilled from 

 the roots and bark of this species. 



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