Page 4 
T.P.N.C. BULLETIN 
August,1975 
knelt down in front, of it. TMs stirred the ants considerable and they 
started racing across the ground in all directions. Kneelin™ iraiooile in 
front of that ant nest was not like relaxing in ar. arc chair. -- e.v 
ants became suspicious, but in general they calmed down and le^t me 
?or how lonr I waited, I don’t know; it seemed an eternity to me, and when 
it actually happened I nearly missed the shot because it was so luick. 
Befofe I realised that the little stone that coming up out of the ants 
nest was a sapphire, the ant was already carrying it away from the hole. 
I pressed the release and rot my photo. "'ell, that was that, and being 
rrateful people, we left and anthill alone and even said "Thankyou . 
THEE TALK with Graeme Briton. S' SSA’-’RAS. itherosperma moschatum nabill.^^ 
Warn. ’'oniraiaceae. Sassafras was the Spanish name given to the small North 
American tree with medicinal bark and fragrant leaves, >assa ras o.fi - » 
of the family Tauraceae. In Australia the name Sassafras was given to two ,1 
of the family Moniniaceae; Northern Sassafras, Boryphora sassafras and South- 
stmt asr® 
l 1 sg'si°!r- a §A M - v ft 1 fe9 i^igrtJSni satf* 0 
regularly formed branches sometimes persisting to the ground. From a dis¬ 
tance it would be easy to mistake Sassafras ^or a gymnosperm. The bark is 
smooth, grey-green and short-grained. It has a fragrance similar to nutmeg 
or cinnamon and contains resin and an essential oil. It has been used for 
brewing a tea and also as an aperient. In former years it was used to 
make "Sassy Beer”. The pleasantly aromatic leaves are opposite, ovate to 
lanceolate, dark green, smooth and shiny on top and dull whitish below.They 
are usually serrated. The scented creamy flowers hang downwards ;rom the 
branches and are better seen from underneath the tree. They appear from 
August to October and are of two kinds on separate trees but sometimes 
one tree can have both. The botanical name of the tree comes from a feature 
of the fruits which bear long plumes. "Ather" s Greek or the beard wnici 
han^s h-rmr 1 an ear oorri an ^ "sperma" a seed. "Boschatum" refers to its 
musk-like smell. The timber is grey to light brown in colour and is close 
grained fine and smooth. The heartwood is frequently black and this gives 
rise to a much sought-after figuring called ’’black-heart". Although the 
leaves and bark are strongly scented, the timber has no peculiar odour. 
The wood is mostly used to make brush handles and clothes pegs, the^Sabco 
and Pioneer company using the wood freely. The plywood factory in somerset 
uses Sassafras as a core veneer in the manufacture of plywood. Along with 
other 'lesser* timber trees, it is bein:* chipped to make pulp for the 
production of paper and hard board. SASSAFRAS ’'SEP. 4 galls, water. 2 oz. 
DI'UUUU 11UU ^ 1 -- -' -- - ~ _p 
bark, 4 lbs. sugar. 1 oz hops, 2 oz. ginger, 2 apples. Boil ior half a 
hour, strain and add yea3t when lukewarm. Let stand for one day then 
bottle. Heady to drink in a few days. 
