[23][24], Numerous Native American tribes used the leaves of sassafras to treat wounds by rubbing the leaves directly into a wound and used different parts of the plant for many medicinal purposes such as treating acne, urinary disorders, and sicknesses that increased body temperature, such as high fevers. Newest results. The sassafras tree (Sassafras albidum) is a species found in much of the eastern United States. Generations ago, any country child within its range could nibble on a leaf … [2][3][4] The genus is distinguished by its aromatic properties, which have made the tree useful to humans. In more mature forests, small sassafras saplings can often be found waiting for a canopy opening to occur which would allow more light to reach the forest floor and thus stimulate their growth. Late fall or early winter fog covered meadow with bare branched Sassafras tree, a few red leaves, golden grassland. There is the classic oval shape, a one-lobed mitten shape and a three lobed trident shape. Sassafras albidum The genus Sassafras includes four species, three extant and one extinct. Sassafras randaiense Sassafras are deciduous trees, meaning that they lose their leaves each year. Sassafras. Thanks for your descriptive article. Sassafras Sassafras albidum Laurel family (Lauraceae) Description: This tree is typically 30-60' tall with trunks 1-2' across, although specimens up to 100' with even wider trunks occasionally occur. Color of the leaves changes to yellow, orange, red and purple before they fall from the tree during the autumn. Sassafras Leaf Pruner Shell Bud Half White Flannel. Showing three distinct leaf types included oval, mitten shaped, and three lobed. As previously said, Sassafras tree can have three different leaf shapes – three-lobed leaves, two-lobed leaves, and unlobed elliptical leaves – and they all can be found on the same branch. The young leaves and twigs are quite mucilaginous, and produce a citrus-like scent when crushed. Glove shaped leaf of a Sassafras tree in Autumn. The smooth bark of the Beech Tree is a favorite spot for lovers to carve their initials. White-breasted Nuthatch: Our most common and widespread nuthatch, Subscribe for free Backyard Ecology e-mails, Dandelions – Not an Evil Weed to be Destroyed on Sight. Nées is most readily identified by the occurrence on the same tree, and frequently on the same branch, of leaves of the three distinct shapes illustrated in Fig. Also, if you scrape the bark off a section of a young sassafras twig, it has a lemony smell that reminds me of the lemon-scented Pledge that everyone used to dust with when I was growing up. Sassafras tzumu may be found in Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Sichuan, Yunnan, and Zhejiang, China. It can be 30ft – 60ft tall and 25ft – 40ft wide. The three shapes of Sassafras leaves, from the left are the single, mitten and tri-lobed leaves. [25] East Asian types of sassafras such as Sassafras tzumu (chu mu) and Sassafras randaiense (chu shu) are used in Chinese medicine to treat rheumatism and trauma. If someone was interested in doing such a project, be sure to look at leaves from all over the tree and not just at eye level because some research indicates that certain sassafras leaf shapes are more likely to occur lower on the tree vs. higher on the tree.). Other trees will only produce male flowers. One unique feature of sassafras is that the leaves grow in three different forms, or shapes on the same plant: an oval shape, a mitten shaped leaf, and a three-lobed leaf (pictured here). Sassafras fruits are eaten by many species of birds, including bobwhite quail, eastern kingbirds, great crested flycatchers, phoebes, wild turkeys, gray catbirds, northern flickers, pileated woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, thrushes, vireos, and northern mockingbirds. Its leaves are polymorphic, meaning that leaves of different shapes occur on the same tree, or even the same branch, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. Leaf shape in Sassafras I143 branches. As seen in the photo (right), these shapes are 1) a simple, unlobed leaf, 2) an asymmetrical leaf resembling a mitten, and 3) a three-lobed leaf. In modern times, the sassafras plant has been grown and harvested for the extraction of sassafras oil. The first leaf shape is pretty much a basic, generic leaf shape. The second leaf shape has two lobes and is reminiscent of a mitten, which is why it is often referred to as a mitten leaf. The Choctaw Indians first used the dried ground leaves as a … One shape resembles a child's mitten, while others are oval or resemble a webbed foot. The three different shapes of the leaves make the tree unique and has beautiful form and fall color. Many different Native American tribes used it to treat a wide range of illnesses. Tiffany Leptuck, "Medical Attributes of 'Sassafras albidum' – Sassafras"], Kenneth M. Klemow, Ph.D., Wilkes-Barre University, 2003. [11] Sassafras was known as fennel wood (German Fenchelholz) due to its distinctive aroma. A series of leaf shapes is presented to clarify terms used in the book to describe leaf shape and leaf parts. in diameter. Little more than a shrub in the north, sassafras grows largest in the Great Smoky Mountains on moist welldrained sandy loams in open woodlands. Aromatic and warming, the leaf can even be used in tea infusions or in topical applications. The small, yellow flowers bloom in clusters. The wood of sassafras trees has been used as a material for building ships and furniture in China, Europe, and the United States, and sassafras played an important role in the history of the European colonization of the American continent in the 16th and 17th centuries. First and most importantly learn to identify sassafras correctly by smell and leaf shape. It has three leaf shapes. The average height of a sassafras tree is between 20 and 40 feet, though some are shorter due to twisting of the trunk. Notice the four typical leaf shapes: ovate, two-lobed right “mitten,” two-lobed left “mitten” and three-lobed “trident.” Photo by Katherine Wagner-Reiss. Sassafras. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I invite you to join me as we ignite our curiosity and natural wonder, explore our yards and communities, and improve our local pollinator and wildlife habitat. Sassafras Leaf. Selective focus with extreme shallow DOF. 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