SASSAFRAS. MULBERRY. 



(Sassafras.) (Morus.) 



The sassafras was one of the first American trees to be 

 described in Europe,* where many fictitious properties were 

 early credited to its aromatic essences. The wood is not dis- 

 tinguished by unusual qualities, but trees are cut for lumber as 

 encountered with other and more valuable species in the forest. 

 The mucilaginous leaves are of three separate shapes. Some 

 have lobes on both sides of the central surface, others have 

 one lobe at one side so as to resemble mittens, while yet 

 others on the same branch have simple oval shapes. The 

 dark-blue berries on bright-red stems are so eagerly devoured 

 by birds as to be seldom seen. The characteristic flavor is 

 most pronounced in the bark of the root. 



The Red, White, and Black Mulberries are named from 

 the color of their fruits. The former, which is the American 

 species, has wood resembling that of the sassafras, only in that 

 it is not distinguished by unusual qualities. Its leaves, like 

 that of the sassafras, are of several shapes on the same tree. 

 The very sweet fruit resembles blackberries in form. The 

 leaves used in silkworm-culture are from the Russian mulberry, 

 a cross between the white mulberry and black mulberry (M. 

 alba and M. nigra).t 



* Monardes, a Spanish writer, described the sassafras about half a century 

 after the landing of Columbus. 



f Annual Report Chief U. S. Forestry Division, 1887 ; also Bulletins on Silk, 

 published by U. S. Dept. Agriculture. 



93 



