Genus Sassafras Nees.

S. albidum (Nutt.) Nees.

Common name: Sassafras

Clinton T. Moore

Warnell School of Forest Resources
University of Georgia, Athens

Other common names (Brako et al. 1995):

Taxonomic arrangement (Bentham and Hooker 1880):

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.

Mature leaves on S. albidum Fall coloration on S. albidum Bark of S. albidum

(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.

S. albidum and overstory Edge situation for S. albidum

(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

  1. Bentham, G., and J. D. Hooker. 1880. Genera plantarum. L. Reeve, London, England, UK.
  2. 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.
  3. Bronaugh, W. 1994. The biggest sassafras. Am. Forests 100(5/6):43.
  4. Clepper, H. 1989. The singular sassafras. Am. Forests 95(3/4):33-34, 57.
  5. Dathe, M. 1984. Sassafras in spite of itself. Horticulture 62(9):19-24.
  6. Davidar, P. and E. S. Morton. 1986. The relationship between fruit crop sizes and fruit removal rates by birds. Ecology 67:262-265.
  7. 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.
  8. Farrar, J. L. 1995. Trees of the northern United States and Canada. Iowa State Univ. Press, Ames, Iowa, USA. ISBN 0-8138-2740-X.
  9. 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.
  10. Grande, G. A., and S. R. Dannewitz. 1987. Symptomatic sassafras oil ingestion. Vet. Human Toxicol. 29:447.
  11. 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.
  12. Hill, J. M., and C. B. Knisley. 1992. Frugivory in the tiger beetle, Cicendela repanda (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae). Coleopterists Bull. 46:306-310.
  13. Johnson, G. P., and K. A. Nicely. 1991. The Laurales of Kentucky. Trans. Ky. Acad. Sci. 52:7-9.
  14. Jones, S. B., Jr., and N. C. Coile. 1988. The distribution of the vascular flora of Georgia. Dept. Botany, Univ. Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA.
  15. Ladd, T. L., Jr. 1989. Japanese beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaedae): feeding by adults on minor host and nonhost plants. J. Econ. Entomol. 82:1616-1619.
  16. 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.
  17. Martin, A. C., H. S. Zim, and A. L. Nelson. 1951. American wildlife and plants: a guide to wildlife food habits. Dover Publications, New York, New York, USA. ISBN 0-486-20793-5.
  18. Mears, J. A. 1984. Index to the microfiche of the types and special collections (flowering plants and ferns) of the Herbarium of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Meckler, Westport, Connecticut, USA. ISBN 0-930466-87-X.
  19. Mears, J. A., ed. 1989. Plant taxonomic literature bibliographic guide. Chadwyck-Healey, Cambridge, England, UK. ISBN 0-85964-217-8.
  20. Nees von Esenbeck, C. G. D. 1836. Systema laurinarum. [Mears (1989) microfiche reference: 9944E4-9952B3].
  21. 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.
  22. 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.
  23. Petrides, G. A. 1988. A field guide to eastern trees. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. ISBN 0-395-46730-6.
  24. Preston, R. J., Jr. 1989. North American trees. Fourth ed. Iowa State Univ. Press, Ames, Iowa, USA. ISBN 0-8138-1171-6.
  25. Radford, A. E., H. E. Ahles, and C. R. Bell. 1968. Manual of the vascular flora of the Carolinas. Univ. North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA. LC 68-28264.
  26. Rehder, A. 1920. The American and Asiatic species of Sassafras. J. Arnold Arboretum 1:242-245.
  27. 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.
  28. Thompson, P. W. 1992. A unique old-growth Michigan hardwood stand with Sassafras as a major component. Mich. Botanist 31:31-35.
  29. 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