SASSAFRAS

The sassafras is a small tree that in Virginia seldom grows higher than forty feet. It is a tree of ancient lineage because fossil leaves have been found embedded in the rock strata of our Western mountains as well as in European formations. The tree reproduces bright blue fruit that appears at the end of the flower stems in late summer. The root system of the sassafras is quite large and many suckers spring up from the parent tree.

The aromatic bark, twigs and roots were prized by the Indians and early colonists for medicinal purposes. A delicious iced or hot tea can be made from the roots; southern cooks also use them to flavor soups and stews. The red-brown bark was boiled and used in the early days to concoct a permanent orange dye for homespun clothes.

The sassafras tree is unique in that three leaves of different shapes may appear on a single twig. One may be a simple oval leaf, another may have one lobe in the shape of a thumb, while a third may appear with three symmetrical lobes. The leaves are flame colored in autumn.

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