S. albidum (Nutt.) Nees.
Common name: Sassafras
Clinton T. Moore
Warnell School of Forest Resources
University of Georgia, Athens
- Phylum Angiospermae
- Subphylum Dicotyledones
- Class Monochlamydeae
- Order Daphnales
- Family Lauraceae
- Tribe Litseae
- Genus Sassafras
Identification
Taxonomy
The species was described by Nees von Esenbeck (Systema Laurinarum [1836]; microfiche
reference 9944E4-9952B3 in Mears 1989). A type specimen is available at the Herbarium of the
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia (microfiche access T92/E11) (Mears 1984).
Description
A small to medium-sized (20 m tall, 50 cm diameter) tree. Leaves -- Alternate, deciduous,
simple, smooth margins; unlobed, 2, or 3-lobed, all forms on the same individual; 8-15 cm long;
aromatic; yellow to red in autumn. Twigs -- Yellow-green, smooth and stout; terminal bud 10-15 mm long. Flowers -- Small (10 mm long), yellow-green, usually dioecious; appear Apr-Jun
prior to or during leaf-out. Fruits -- Blue drupe 10-15 mm long, in red cup on stalk, appearing
Aug-Oct. Bark -- dark red-brown and deeply fissured.
(L) Mature, lobed leaves on S. albidum.
(C) Typical fall coloration (albeit early August) of S. albidum.
(R) Furrowed bark on young S. albidum.
-- Sams Farm, Clarke County, Georgia (C. T. Moore, August 1997)
S. albidum frequents forest openings and edges, often in association with other broadleaf trees, at
altitudes <1500 m. In open situations, its form is columnar, with a flat crown. Regeneration
occurs both vegetatively and via seed dispersal. Root sprouts may vigorously colonize an area.
Individuals are often found along fence rows where birds have dispersed seed. S. albidum is
often found on upland, well-drained, sandy soils where nutrients can be lacking. The species
prefers full sun or minimally shaded situations.
(L) Presumably unhappy S. albidum in heavy oak overstory.
(R) Typical edge situation for S. albidum.
-- Sams Farm, Clarke County, Georgia (C. T. Moore, August 1997)
(Sources: Farrar 1995, Harrar and Harrar 1962, Little 1980, Petrides 1988, and Preston 1989)
Distribution
(Sources: Farrar 1995, Little 1980, and Preston 1989)
Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees. |
Area |
Status |
Source |
North America:
continental U.S., Canada |
Yes |
Harrar and Harrar 1962 |
eastern North America:
U.S. east of Mississippi.; Ontario, eastern
Canada |
Yes |
Harrar and Harrar 1962 |
southeastern U.S.:
AL, AR, DE, DC, FL, GA, KY, MD, NC, SC,
TN, VA, WV |
Widespread |
Harrar and Harrar 1962 |
southern Appalachian states:
AL, GA, KY, MD, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV |
Widespread |
Harrar and Harrar 1962 |
Coastal Plain |
Yes |
Jones and Coile 1988 |
Piedmont |
Yes |
Jones and Coile 1988 |
Blue Ridge Mountains |
Yes |
Jones and Coile 1988 |
Blue Ridge -- Great Smoky Mountains Natl. Park |
Yes |
Radford et al. 1968 |
Ridge and Valley |
Yes |
Jones and Coile 1988 |
Cumberland Plateau |
Yes |
Jones and Coile 1988 |
Central Arch |
Yes |
Johnson and Nicely 1991 |
Georgia |
Yes |
Jones and Coile 1988 |
Georgia, Clarke County |
Yes |
Jones and Coile 1988 |
Georgia, Clarke County, Sams Farm |
Occasional |
C. T. Moore, pers. observ. |
----- Old Field |
Sporadic, edge |
C. T. Moore, pers. observ. |
----- Wetland |
Not
detected |
C. T. Moore, pers. observ. |
----- Woods |
Sporadic |
C. T. Moore, pers. observ. |
----- 1-Hectare Plot |
Quadrat
1.0.0 |
C. T. Moore, pers. observ. |
Natural and ethnobotanical history
Sassafras albidum is most often encountered in open, disturbed situations such as forest openings
(Orwig and Abrams 1995) and edges. Growth during colonization can be vigorous (Orwig and
Abrams 1995). S. albidum often occurs in power line right-of-ways, and because it resists
herbicide applications, its control is difficult (Dreyer and Niering 1986). One reason for its
colonization success and ability to mature in relatively pure stands may be through allelopathic
toxins produced in the roots (Gant and Clebsch 1975). In certain old-growth broadleaf forests, S.
albidum can be found as a dominant (20% canopy coverage) overstory tree (Thompson 1992).
Under favorable conditions, S. albidum can grow to be quite large: the U.S. champion
(Owensboro, Daviess County, Kentucky, 1982) is 23 m tall and 205 cm in diameter (Bronaugh
1994).
Martin et al. (1951) consider S. albidum to be a minor food source for avian and mammalian
wildlife. However, many bird species consume the drupes (Davidar and Morton 1986), as
nurserymen and horticulturalists will attest (Dathe 1984). At least a few insect species feed on S.
albidum: Papilo troilus (spicebush swallowtail butterfly) (Nitao et al. 1991), Cicindela repanda
(tiger beetle) (Hill and Knisley 1992), Popillia japonica (Japanese beetle) (Ladd 1989), and
Stephanitis takeyai (Andromeda lace bug) (Wheeler 1977). Nonetheless, horticulturalists
consider S. albidum robust to insect and non-insect pests (Dathe 1984).
North American natives and European settlers have used Sassafras albidum in many ways
(Clepper 1989, Dathe 1984). Parts of the plant had been used medicinally by native Americans
before the arrival of Europeans. Explorers and colonists associated the pleasant aroma of the tree
with healing and protection from evil influences, and extracts of the bark and roots soon became
a panacea elixir sought by Europeans. Sassafras bark was one of the first exports of the New
World. Oil of sassafras was once used as a food additive and flavoring, but interstate commerce
in the oil, which contains up to 80% of safrole, a carcinogenic (Sethi et al. 1976), is now banned.
The oil is sometimes available in health food stores, and cases of ingestion toxicity have been
reported (Grande and Dannewitz 1987). The oil has been used in soaps and perfumes. In the
southern U.S., roots were boiled, combined with molasses, and allowed to ferment into root beer.
In parts of Louisiana, dried leaves are the basis for a soup and gumbo thickener. A dye can be
made from the bark, and some pharmaceutical compounds are derived from the oil. The wood is
durable and has traditionally been used for fence posts, railroad ties, cooperage, boat hulls, and
dugout canoes. The wood was believed to repel bedbugs, so bedframes and boards were made
from the lumber. Henhouses were also constructed of sassafras because some believed that the
wood repelled chicken lice. Horticulturalists recognize the value of sassafras as a hardy, native
landscape tree that offers attractive fall color.
Finding Sassafras albidum at Sams Farm
I found sassafras occurring at 2 sites at Sams Farm. A small tree (approx 7 m) is growing at the
westernmost edge of the old field, approximately 30 m from the roadside of U.S. 78. The tree is
almost completely concealed under a heavy canopy of oaks.
A cluster of sassafras sprouts can be found within a 5-m radius of the pin designating corner
1,0,0 of the 1-ha field site. I suspect these sprouts have all arisen from old root stock.
Links to images and information on Sassafras albidum
References
- Bentham, G., and J. D. Hooker. 1880. Genera plantarum. L. Reeve, London, England, UK.
- Brako, L., A. Y. Rossman, and D. F. Farr. 1995. Scientific and common names of 7,000
vascular plants in the United States. APS Press, St. Paul, Minnesota, USA. ISBN 0-89054-171-X.
- Bronaugh, W. 1994. The biggest sassafras. Am. Forests 100(5/6):43.
- Clepper, H. 1989. The singular sassafras. Am. Forests 95(3/4):33-34, 57.
- Dathe, M. 1984. Sassafras in spite of itself. Horticulture 62(9):19-24.
- Davidar, P. and E. S. Morton. 1986. The relationship between fruit crop sizes and fruit
removal rates by birds. Ecology 67:262-265.
- Dreyer, G. D., and W. A. Niering. 1986. Evaluation of two herbicide techniques on electric
transmission rights-of-way: development of relatively stable shrublands. Environ. Manage.
10:113-118.
- Farrar, J. L. 1995. Trees of the northern United States and Canada. Iowa State Univ. Press,
Ames, Iowa, USA. ISBN 0-8138-2740-X.
- Gant, R. E., and E. E. C. Clebsch. 1975. The allelopathic influences of Sassafras albidum in
old-field succession in Tennessee. Ecology 56:604-615.
- Grande, G. A., and S. R. Dannewitz. 1987. Symptomatic sassafras oil ingestion. Vet.
Human Toxicol. 29:447.
- Harrar, E. S., and J. G. Harrar. 1962. Guide to southern trees. Second ed. Dover
Publications, New York, New York, USA. ISBN 0-486-20945-8.
- Hill, J. M., and C. B. Knisley. 1992. Frugivory in the tiger beetle, Cicendela repanda
(Coleoptera: Cicindelidae). Coleopterists Bull. 46:306-310.
- Johnson, G. P., and K. A. Nicely. 1991. The Laurales of Kentucky. Trans. Ky. Acad. Sci.
52:7-9.
- Jones, S. B., Jr., and N. C. Coile. 1988. The distribution of the vascular flora of Georgia.
Dept. Botany, Univ. Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
- Ladd, T. L., Jr. 1989. Japanese beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaedae): feeding by adults on minor
host and nonhost plants. J. Econ. Entomol. 82:1616-1619.
- Little, E. L. 1980. The Audubon Society field guide to North American trees. Albert A.
Knopf, New York, New York, USA. ISBN 0-394-50760-6.
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wildlife food habits. Dover Publications, New York, New York, USA. ISBN 0-486-20793-5.
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reference: 9944E4-9952B3].
- Nitao, J. K., M. P. Ayres, R. C. Lederhouse, and J. M. Scriber. 1991. Larval adaptation to
lauraceous hosts: geographic divergence in the spicebush swallowtail butterfly. Ecology
72:1428-1435.
- Orwig, D. A., and M. D. Abrams. 1995. Dendroecological and ecophysiological analysis of
gap environments in mixed-oak understoreys of northern Virginia. Funct. Ecol. 9:799-806.
- Petrides, G. A. 1988. A field guide to eastern trees. Houghton Mifflin, Boston,
Massachusetts, USA. ISBN 0-395-46730-6.
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Iowa, USA. ISBN 0-8138-1171-6.
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Carolinas. Univ. North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. LC 68-28264.
- Rehder, A. 1920. The American and Asiatic species of Sassafras. J. Arnold Arboretum
1:242-245.
- Sethi, M. L., G. S. Rao, B. K. Chowdhury, J. F. Morton, and G. J. Kapadia. 1976.
Identification of volatile constituents of Sassafras albidum root oil. Phytochemistry 15:1773-1775.
- Thompson, P. W. 1992. A unique old-growth Michigan hardwood stand with Sassafras as a
major component. Mich. Botanist 31:31-35.
- Wheeler, A. G., Jr. 1977. Spicebush and sassafras as new North American hosts of
Andromeda lace bug, Stephanitis takeyai (Hemiptera: Tingidae). Proc. Entomol. Soc. Wash.
79:168-171.
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Last Updated on August 14, 1997 by Clinton T. Moore