Sassafras

Leaves

Form

• Deciduous, alternate, simple
• Blunt-tipped
• Base wedge-shaped
• Prominently 3-veined above base
• Other veins pinnately arranged along the midvein
• Curving toward the tip of the leaf
• Unlobed or with 2–3 lobes
• All shapes occurring on the same tree
• Lower surface hairless or slightly hairy 
• Spicy odour when bruised

Length

• 10–15 cm

Autumn colour

• Yellow to red

Margin

• Smooth

Buds

Form

• Terminal bud ovoid, several scales
• Lateral buds smaller than terminal
• Plump
• Leaf scars with 1 dash-like vein scar

Length

• Terminal bud 10–15 mm

Colour

• Greenish

Twigs

Form

• Stout, smooth
• Glossy, brittle

Colour

• Yellowish-green

Flowers

Form

• Small
• In loose clusters (racemes) at the base of new shoots

Colour

• Greenish-yellow

Structure

• Mostly dioecious

Floral timing

• Before the leaves unfold

Fruits

Form

• Berry-like with a large, stone-like seed
• In a cup on a long stalk
• Several to a cluster

Length

• 10–15 mm

Colour

• Dark blue
• Cup red
• Stalk red

Structure

• Drupe

Bark

Form

• Deeply grooved
• Heavy, soft, corky ridges

Colour

• Dark brownish

Wood

Texture

• Light, soft, weak
• Durable, aromatic

Colour

• Orange-brown
• Sapwood yellow

Morphology

• Coarse-grained

Size

Height

• To 20 m

Diameter

• To 50 cm

Tree form

Forest-grown

Trunk

• Many abruptly spreading, crooked, brittle branches

Crown

• Flat-topped, irregular, columnar
• Upper secondary lateral shoots usually longer than
• primary shoot internode

Root system

• Sparse, spreading

Habitat

Site

• Variable, nutrient-rich to poor
• In forest openings and edges

Light tolerance

• Shade-tolerant

Associated species

• Mixed with other broadleaf trees
  

Range

Rare in Canada
Southern Ontario, north of Lake Erie from southern Lake Huron to the west end of Lake Ontario