236 Eleventh Annual Report 



The published records of the distribution are as follows: Cass 

 (Hessler) ; Clark (Baird and Taylor) and (Smith) ; Dearborn (Collins) ; 

 Decatur (Ballard) ; Delaware, Jay, Randolph and Wayne (Phinney) ; 

 Fayette (Hessler) ; Fountain (Brown) ; Franklin (Meyncke) ; Gibson 

 (Schneck); Hamilton (Wilson); Jefferson (Coulter) and (Young); 

 Knox (Ridgway) and (Thomas); Kosciusko (Clark) and (Coulter); 

 Lake (Blatchley) ; Marion (Wilson) ; Miami (Gorby) ; Monroe (Blatch- 

 ley); Noble (Van Gorder); Parke (Hobbs); Posey (Schneck); Put- 

 nam (MacDougal); Steuben (Bradner); Tippecanoe (Cunningham); 

 Vigo (Blatchley) ; Wabash (Benedict and Elrod) ; Wayne (Retry and 

 Markle). 



Additional records are: Montgomery (Thompson); Putnam 

 (Grimes) and (Lewis and Bridges); Tippecanoe (Coulter) and 

 (Dorner) ; Bartholomew, Clark, Crawford, Decatur, DeKalb, Dela- 

 ware, Howard, Huntington, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Laporte, 

 Monroe, Morgan, Porter, Posey, Shelby, Wells (Deam). 



Economic uses. Wood very light, very soft, light yellow and 

 coarse-grained. Supply is so hmited as to be of no economic im- 

 portance. The mature fruit is edible and relished by many per- 

 sons. For years horticulturists have urged that the fruit of this 

 tree be developed so that it might become one of our standard 

 fruits. 



Horticultural value. It is desirable for ornamental planting on 

 account of its interesting foHage, beautiful and unique flowers and 

 delicious fruit. It prefers the shade and when planted several 

 should be grouped together. 



LAURACE^. The Laurel Family. 



THE SASSAFRAS. 



Sassafras Sassafras (Linnaeus) Karsten. Sassafras. Red Sass- 

 afras. White Sassafras. (Sassafras variifolium (Linnaeus) Kar- 

 sten.) Plate 73. Bark aromatic, smooth on young trees, reddish- 

 brown and deeply furrowed on old trees, resembling that of the 

 black walnut; twigs yellowish-green, splotched with dark spots, 

 young twigs hairy, soon becoming smooth; buds ovoid and pointed; 

 leaves alternate, oval to obovate, margin entire or 1-3 lobed, some- 

 times 5 lobed (the accompanying plate was made from a speci- 

 men in the Deam herbarium, which has all the forms pf the leaf on 

 one twig), 10-15 cm. (4-6 inches) long, 5-10 cm. (2-4 inches) wide, 

 hairy, when young, smooth at maturity; flowers appear in April or 

 May before or with the leaves, greenish yellow; fruit ripens in Aug- 

 ust and September, about the size of a pea, blue black. 



