102 Native Trees of Canada 



The leaves are 8 to 12 in. long and 3 to 4 in. wide, the widest part being above 

 the middle. The margin is toothless and the upper surface is smooth and dark 

 green. The stems are very short and stout. The leaf is very similar to that of the 

 magnolia or cucumber tree. 



The fruit is characteristic. It is 3 to 5 in. long, oblong in shape but sometimes 

 irregular. The flesh is yellow, soft, edible, and much prized by those who have 

 acquired a taste for it. The seeds are flat, wrinkled, and about 1 in. long and 3^ 

 in. broad. 



The wood has neither technical nor commercial value. 



THE SASSAFRAS 



There is only one species of Sassafras (Sassafras) known and it is found in 

 China and the eastern portion of North America. It is nowhere abundant enough 

 to be of economic importance, although it is widely distributed over its range. The 

 wood is a rich brown in colour, soft, durable, and of high quality. 



SASSAFRAS VARIIFOLIUM (Salisb.) Ktze. SASSAFRAS 



Common names: Sassafras, sassafrax, saxifrax, sarsaparilla*. 

 French name: Sassafras. 



The Canadian range of this tree is limited to southern Ontario, from the vicinity 

 of Toronto westward to the southern end of lake Huron. 



It is a tree 30 to 40 ft. in height and 12 to 18 in. in diameter, sometimes larger, 

 but on dry, sandy sites is often a shrub growing in thickets. 



The crown is flat, open, irregular, and composed of stout branches which are 

 more or less contorted. The base of the tree is frequently surrounded by a 

 thicket of young shoots that have sprung up from the roots. 



The bark is thin, but cut by fairly deep grooves into prominent ridges, which on 

 large trees are broken into blocks by transverse cracks. The bark, twigs and roots 

 all have a peculiar, strong, aromatic taste and smell which enables one to identify 

 the tree at once. 



The twigs are fairly stout, reddish-brown, smooth, and shiny, as a rule. They 

 are irregular in their branching habits. 



The winter buds are large, prominent, oval-pointed, and greenish. Those on 

 the side stand well out from the twig. 



The leaves are 4 to 6 in. long, dull yellowish-green, smooth, and rather thick. 

 They have three distinct forms, one oval-tapered at both ends, another somewhat 

 similar, with the addition of a lobe at one side like the thumb of a mitten, and a 

 third three-lobed, like a mitten with a thumb on each side. All these forms may 

 be found on the same tree. 



