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 Virginia Living Museum
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
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Height: |
Typically 20-30 feet, but can
reach more than 80 feet |
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Light: |
Full sun to part shade |
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Soil Type: |
Dry to moist soils |
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Bloom Time: |
March - May (Fruits mature
August-September) |
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Flower Color: |
Yellow, pleasantly fragranced |
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Foliage: |
Mitten-shaped leaves. In fall leaves
are yellow, orange and red with fruits
that are navy blue oval pearls atop red stalks |
Wonderful rootbeer scent in all parts of the tree. Mitten-shaped leaves (traditionally used to make file powder, the thickener in Cajun gumbos), spring-green buds, tiny but noticeable pretty yellow flowers, distinctive striated green and orange bark on younger trees.
In the fall, brilliant yellow, orange and red leaves with unique and beautiful fruits: navy blue oval pearls held atop red stalks.
Sassafras trees are dioecious and attract spicebush and zebra swallowtail butterflies, bluebirds, robins and catbirds.
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