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SASSAFRAS. 

 Sassafras variifolium, (Salisbury) Kuntze. 



FAMILY AND GENUS DESCRIPTION The Laurel family, Lauraceae, comprises about 40 

 genera with between 900 and 1,000 species which are confined mostly to the tropics. Six 

 genera are found in North America, 4 of which reach tree-size. Two genera, Sassafras and 

 Benzoin, are native to Pennsylvania. The species described on this page is the sole representa- 

 tive in North America of the genus Sassafras, but another species is recorded from China. 

 The sole representatives in this State of the genus Benzoin is the Spice Bush (Benzoin aestlvale 

 (L.) Nees.) The Spice Bush can readily be distinguished by its small size, its aromatic and 

 spicy twigs, its simple, entire, alternate leaves, its clusters of yellow flowers which appear 

 before the loaves, and its scarlet fruit. 



FORM Usually reaches a height of 40-50 ft. with a diameter of 1-3 ft., but in the South 

 may reach a height of 100 ft. with a diameter of 2-4 feet. Trunk usually stout, short, bearing 

 a crown with more or less contorted branches. Crown usually flat-topped or rounded, the terminal 

 part rather dense, the lower part very open. Branches are extremely brittle. See Fig. 40. 



BARK Roughened with shallow fissures frequently as early as the third year, hence a young 

 tree often appears old. On older trunks reddish-brown, deeply fissured, and flat ridged. Ridges 

 resemble small blocks, or Ys, or Vs, and separate into thin appressed scales. Shallow, hori- 

 zontal, and ring-like fissures sometimes almost encircle trunk. See Fig. 67. 



TWIGS Usually slender except in sprouts, rather brittle, yellowish-green or sometimes red- 

 dish, somewhat hairy, often smooth and glossy, aromatic, brittle, fall off young, covered with 

 few lenticels, contain large white pith. Inner bark of twigs is very mucilaginous upon being 

 chewed. Sprouts branch freely and seedlings more sparingly. 



BUDS Alternate; terminal bud present, large 1/3-3/5 of an inch long, ovate, sharp-pointed, 

 covered with a few rather loose-fitting, slightly hairy green bud-scales with thickened veins. 

 A few, usually 3, rather thick, loose, short, narrow scales surround terminal bud. Lateral 

 buds are smaller, gaping, and somewhat divergent. 



LEAVES Alternate, simple, ovate, 4-6 inches long, a^ute at apex, wedge-shaped at base, 

 entire or 2-5-lobed, usually smooth and dark green above and paler below. Entire, 2-lobefl, 

 3-lobed, and 5-lobed ones may be found on same branch. 



LEAF-SCARS Alterncte, small, raised, semi-elliptical or concave, with a single, confluent, 

 linear bundle-scar. 



FLOWERS Appear about May with the leaves. Staminate and pistillate flowers are separate. 

 They are greenish-yellow and arranged in loose drooping racemes. 



FRUIT A dark bluo, shiny drupe borne on a bright red, club-shaped, fleshy stem terminated 

 by an enlarged calyx in which the drupe rests. Falls rather early, rarely persistent. 



WOOD Ring-porous; with indistinct medullary rays; soft, very brittle, durable in contact 

 with soil, aromatic, dull-orange brown, with thin light sapwood. Weighs 31.42 Ibs. per cubic 

 foot. Used for posts, rails, furniture, interior finishings. Often sold as Ash and Chestnut. 



DISTINGUISHING CHARACTERISTICS The Sassafras, also known as Saxifrax, and Sassafrac, 

 can be distinguished at any time of the year by its very smooth glossy bark of the twigs which 

 is decidedly mucilaginous and aromatic. The leaves which may be entire, or 2-5-lobed and 

 the single bundle-scar in the leaf-scars are also characteristic. The fruit, the rough and 

 distinctively fissured bark, and the brittle lateral branches are peculiar to this species. 

 Om-e recognized it is hard to confuse it with another species. 



RANGE Massachusetts to Florida and west to Michigan, Kansas, and Texas. 



DISTRIBUTION IN PENNSYLVANIA Rather common in the eastern, southern, and western 

 parts of the State. Rarer in the central and northern or mountainous parts. 



HABITAT Very common along fence rows, in abandoned fields! and on abandoned charcoal 

 hearths. Prefers rich sandy loam. Rather* tolerant of shade and water. 



IMPORTANCE OF THE SPECIES The Sassafras is of little commercial importance in this 

 State on account of its limited distribution and the small size which it reaches. It is a 

 rather picturesque trae, especially in winter. The fruit furnishes a valuable food for birds 

 while the wood, bark, and especially the roots, yield an aromatic oil extensively used to- 

 flavor medicine and candy, and to perfume soaps. 



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