Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)

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dave Aug 04, 2002

The fruit. It only appears on very old trees - probably at least 5 years old and 15 feet high.

Common name: Sassafras
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Sassafras
Species albidum

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Pardancanda "down the Shore", NJ(Zone 7a) Aug 05, 2002

Dave, I've seen fruit, but I remember it being bluer? Maybe when it is 'riper'?

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dave Aug 05, 2002

Hey John, you are absolutely right. The fruit you see above is not yet ripe, but it's almost. It will become very blue, almost a dark navy blue, and then will fall off the stem, where it will germinate following the winter stratification.

I harvested several dark blue fruits today, and the hull came right off, revealing a little "BB" sized seed inside. I'm going to do lots of germination experiments on these and come up with all methods of germination. Sassafras is my favorite tree.

dave

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yardbird Maben, MS(Zone 7b) Aug 05, 2002

I don't care for it as it comes up here and you can't kill it.

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Pardancanda "down the Shore", NJ(Zone 7a) Aug 05, 2002

Thanks for the information, Dave! I love this tree, it grows here in NJ all along the edges of the woods, and is a blaze of color every fall. The seeds are rare though as you said. I enjoy the three different leaf shapes, and the wonderful scent! You make sassafras tea or root beer???

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dave Aug 05, 2002

Tea! When I was a child I used to have an area of our woods that I called my "sassafras patch". I would go yank up the plants, wash the roots, and boil them for sassafras tea. Good stuff!

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