106 



ILLINOIS NATURAL HISTORY SURVEY CIRCULAR 51 



(Fig. 95 inset), with smooth margins, are whitish-green above 

 and silvery beneath. The small, fragrant, inconspicuous, perfect 

 flowers, silvery on the outside and pale yellow within, appear in 

 June. The Yo-inch-long, sweet, mealy, oval, one-seeded, yellow 

 fruit, covered with silvery scales, ripens in August. Although 

 the smooth branches are brown, the twigs are covered with gray, 

 star-shaped hairs. The dark gray trunk bark is furrowed, and 

 it becomes scaly with age. Russian olive is relatively free of 

 insect pests and resistant to injury by ice and wind. An occasional 

 tree is affected by Verticillium wilt. 



Sassafras 



Sassafras (Sa^ssafras albidiim) (Fig. 96), with its stout, al- 

 most horizontal branches, may grow as a small, flat-topped tree 

 in poor soil, reaching a height of only 40-60 feet. However, on 

 rich soil it may reach a height of 80-90 feet. Branch spread 

 varies from 25 to 40 feet. It is common in abandoned fields and 

 along fence rows, preferring a rich, sandy, well-drained soil. It 

 grows throughout the southern two-thirds of the state. It is 

 useful in ornamental plantings, especially around low, one-story 



Fig. 96. — Sassafras has 

 aromatic leaves which 

 vary from those with no 

 lobes (left inset) to those 

 with three lobes (rijiht in- 

 set). Some leaves resem- 

 ble mittens. 



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