S. randaiense (Hayata) Rehder
Common name: Taiwan sassafras
Clinton T. Moore
Warnell School of Forest Resources
University of Georgia, Athens
Other common names:
- Phylum Angiospermae
- Subphylum Dicotyledones
- Class Monochlamydeae
- Order Daphnales
- Family Lauraceae
- Tribe Litseae
- Genus Sassafras
Identification
Taxonomy
The species was first described and placed under genus Lindera by Hayata (1911). Rehder
(1920) reclassified the genus.
Description
A small to medium-sized (20 m tall) tree. Leaves -- Alternate, deciduous, simple, smooth
margins; unlobed or 3-lobed, both forms on the same individual; 10-15 cm long; aromatic.
Flowers -- Small, dioecious, arranged on racemes approx. 3 cm long. Fruits -- Blue drupe 6 mm
across, in thickened pedicel 2.5-3 cm long. Bark -- dark brown and deeply fissured.
A more detailed description and a drawing of the leaves and flowers is found in Li (1963) and in
Li et al. (1976).
Information on the habit of S. randaiense is not found in accessible works. However, the species
is believed to be similar to S. albidum in many characteristics (Rehder 1920), namely, growth on
drained, sandy soils along edges and forest openings. S. randaiense is endemic to Taiwan, and
rare, occurring at altitudes of 1800-2500 m in the Central Ranges.
S. randaiense is evidently overharvested for timber (Wang and Hu 1984). Silvicultural methods
to regenerate the tree (seeding, rooting) have enjoyed little success (Wang and Hu 1984).
Distribution
Approximate distribution of S. randaiense (Source: Li et al. 1976)
Ethnobotany
Sassafras randaiense is valued for its timber, and some is being extracted (Wang and Hu 1984).
El-Feraly at al. (1983) extracted a root compound that exhibits antimicrobial activity.
Links to information on Sassafras randaiense
References
- Bentham, G., and J. D. Hooker. 1880. Genera plantarum. L. Reeve, London, England, UK.
- El-Feraly, F. S., S. F. Cheatham, and R. L. Breedlove. 1983. Antimicrobial neolignans of
Sassafras randaiense roots collected in Taiwan. J. Natural Products 46:493-498.
- Hayata, B. 1911. J. Coll. Sci. Tokyo 30:257-258.
- Li, H.-L. 1963. Wooy flora of Taiwan. Livingston Publishing, Narberth, Pennsylvania, USA.
LC 63-18684.
- Li, H.-L., T. S. Liu, T.-C. Huang, T. Koyoma, and C. E. DeVol, eds. 1976. Flora of Taiwan.
Vol. 2. Epoch Publishing, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
- Rehder, A. 1920. The American and Asiatic species of Sassafras. J. Arnold Arboretum
1:242-245.
- Wang, P. J., and C. Y. Hu. 1984. In vitro cloning of the deciduous timber tree Sassafras
randaiense. Int. J. Plant Physiol. 113:331-335.
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Last Updated on August 13, 1997 by Clinton T. Moore