Plant of the Month November 2023: Sassafras

The distinctive leaves of Sassafras are especially beautiful in fall as they turn red, gold or orange (Photo by Matt Little)

Sassafras, Sassafras albidum

November 2023 Plant of the Month

Northern Neck Chapter of the VNPS

by Betsy Washington

Sassafras, Sassafras albidum, is one of our most distinctive and colorful native deciduous trees. Its brilliance is especially vibrant in fall when its leaves ignite into a glorious kaleidoscope of reds, golds, oranges and even purples. Even in summer, the blue-green leaves of Sassafras are distinctive with three different leaf shapes on a single tree. Young saplings tend to have a simple oval leaf while older trees have mostly three-lobed leaves but also have mitten-shaped leaves with either a right or left “thumb”- all adding a unique texture to sassafras and making them instantly recognizable. In addition, all parts of the tree are aromatic with a spicy fragrance, from the sweetly scented crushed leaves to the green stems and bark, fruits, and even the roots. Sassafras are members of the Laurel family, many of whose members are known for their fragrant oils. Sassafras is found throughout eastern N.A. and is common across Virginia where it is found in a variety of habitats from dry to moist forests, forest openings, old fields, fence rows and disturbed habitats. In fact, Sassafras are consummate pioneer species capable of colonizing disturbed, early successional habitats by suckering into thickets but also capable of reaching 80 or more feet in height with a two-to-three-foot trunk diameter in rich soils.

While Sassafras is a star in the fall landscape, it shines in other seasons too. In early spring the bare branches are covered with clusters of small chartreuse-yellow flowers that create a golden haze looking as if the tree is covered in clouds of gold dust. Sassafras are dioecious meaning that male and female flowers occur on separate trees. They are one of the few large “berry-producing” trees in the East. In mid to late summer, the female flowers produce small clusters of dark blue fruits (drupes) each held in scarlet cup at the ends of 2-inch scarlet stalks creating a striking show. These fruits are not only eye-catching but have a high lipid content and provide critical high-fat food for songbirds including bluebirds, catbirds, vireos, woodpeckers, flycatchers, wild turkey and bobwhite. But the birds are in competition with all the small mammals who savor them as well.

In summer the foliage is a handsome matte blue-green above and whitish below providing interesting texture and contrast, leading to the botanical species name albidum, meaning white. After the leaves drop, the artistic form of the tree is especially notable. Sassafras, like our Flowering Dogwood, has a distinctive branching pattern (sympodial) with horizontally-layered branches. The trunk grows upwards for a short distance each season and then develops a whorl of horizontal branches that tend to swoop up and outward creating a striking silhouette. The bark of older trees is orange brown and becomes deeply furrowed developing a rugged ‘alligator-hide’ appearance that is quite handsome while the young shoots remain green.

Sassafras are best grown in full to part sun and prefer sandy, acidic soils. Although quite adaptable, they are relatively intolerant of heavy clay soils, salt, poorly drained, or alkaline soils. Sassafras have a reputation for being difficult to transplant from the wild because many of these saplings are actually suckers from the roots of a parent tree which is providing “life support”.  Without that life support, young transplants eventually perish. Despite having a taproot, Sassafras are relatively easy to grow from container-grown plants or true individual saplings in planted in late winter or early spring and even larger trees will transplant if dug with large root-balls. Adapted to disturbance, Sassafras will readily form colonies by suckering from their roots and often remain relatively small. Since they are clones from a single plant, they turn the same fiery shades of color in fall and the canopies tend to knit together forming handsome small groves of trees. Sassafras also make remarkable specimen trees. If a single specimen tree is preferred, avoid disturbance to the roots or trunks and simply remove any suckers that might arise. In rich soils, Sassafras grows relatively quickly and can reach great size.

Besides being a beautiful tree in the wild or in our gardens, Sassafras has a long history of medicinal, edible and wildlife uses. Many Indigenous tribes used the aromatic roots for medicinal tonics and restorative teas and the dried powdered leaves have long been used as flavorings and thickening agents, as in ‘file’ gumbo. A restorative tonic produced from distilled oils of Sassafras bark and roots was so sought after in the early 1600’s in Europe, that early expeditions came in search of Sassafras. The active ingredient that gives Sassafras its distinctive aroma and flavor is safrole which was discovered to be mildly carcinogenic and banned from sale in the mid-1970’s; it is no longer sold commercially.

Not only does the fruit of Sassafras provide food for various wildlife, but the flowers are rich in nectar and pollen and attract an array of pollinators including hover or flower flies, small native bees and wasps. Sassafras is also the host for the showy Spicebush and Palamedes Swallowtail butterflies as well as for the even larger and equally showy Giant Promethea, Imperial and Io Silk Moths. If you are fortunate enough to have a Sassafras tree or handsome grove on your property, count yourself lucky and enjoy its beauty and the wildlife it attracts. Or if you have disturbed areas that needs landscaping, consider planting one or a few small Sassafras trees and allowing them to sucker and colonize the site for you, providing year-round beauty, an abundance of wildlife, and even restorative teas or tonics.

Early spring flowers of Sassafras attract a Calligrapher Fly

Blue drupes are held on scarlet stalks and relished by wildlife  (Photo by Betsy Washington)

Small grove of Sassafras near the Bay in autumn finery (Photo by Betsy Washington)

Intriguing leaves of Sassafras come in three shapes (Photo byMatt Little)