During a recent hike, I was in the right place at the right time, shortly after a recent storm broke down a few Sassafras fruit-bearing branches.

According to my records, this happens only every 10 years, when a stellar alignment leads to various energy points converging.
It also has to be a year when Sassafras has set fruits (sometimes late frosts can destroy the flowers) and, needless to say, a beautiful day that inspired hiking.

Taking all into consideration, plus the fact that I don’t intend to take up tree climbing, please get familiar with this nice and peculiar tree and consider growing it from fresh seeds, if your garden space allows. The next stellar alignment might come only in 2034!

Sassafras albidum portrait

Sassafras albidum – Sassafras (Fam.Lauraceae) is a medium size tree, 15-20 m tall that can be encountered wild in Southern Ontario woods (where its Northern limit is found) being more widespread across the border in a few US states. All parts of the plant are spicy and aromatic.

It has an interesting candelabra-like branching (aka. sympodial) and really cool leaves that come in three shapes! In the fall, they turn yellow, red and purple depending on the sun exposure and fall temperatures (mid-September – October). They host the caterpillars of the Spicebush swallowtail and Promethea silk moth. Young seedlings will first display only simple leaves.

The small, yellow flowers appear in early spring, on separate male and female trees, and by fall the ornamental black drupes are displayed on red long pedicels with the same candelabra-like ramification. The fruits are very attractive and consumed by various birds in the fall.

It is not easy to always observe the black fruits up on grown up trees, even when it happens. They are rapidly consumed by birds that will spread the seeds, so in stands with mature trees there are always youngsters with cute leaves growing beneath their parents.

Mature Sassafras trees prefer full sun locations and sandy-loamy soils; when young they will tolerate shade. It is a medium to fast growing tree which also can sprout and form colonies.

Those who have space and a good garden location can grow it solitary or as part of a native woodland garden with other companion species: Lindera benzoin, Lonicera canadensis, Hepatica americana, Amphicarpeae bracteata, Maianthemum, Mitchella, Gaultheria procumbens, Trillium, Prosartes lanuginosa, Polystichum, Adiantum….

Sassafras albidum has a long and interesting history related to North American Native Peoples and later worldwide.

Before the discovery of the North American continent, the Sassafras was extensively used (leaves, roots and bark) by Native Peoples for various purposes: antihelmintic, antidiarrheal, antirheumatic, as a cold remedy, venereal, tonic…

The European settlers after seeing its traditional medicinal usage, like in many other cases, thought they found the ‘cure-all’ plant and started to import large quantities of sassafras oil (obtained by distillation from the root bark), into Europe.

For a while, the sassafras oil was a very precious commodity, being employed in foods, medicinal products, cosmetics (root beer, sassafras tea, filé powder, as flavoring in candies, beer…).
After safrole, the essential component of sassafras oil, was recognized as a potential carcinogen around 1960’s, its use was banned in the US and later in Canada.

Only young leaves which are said to contain little safrole, can be used to make the powder filé (part of the renowned Creole dish gumbo). Also, I read that some small brewers still use the extract to flavor traditional beers.

Those with more time can have a look at this wiki stub, or/and do their own research to read more about the Sassafras: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sassafras_albidum

**Do not purchase Sassafras oil from non-verifiable sources, because most likely what you will get would be just some ‘fragrant oil’ obtained from other trees (via Asia and Brazil).
Also, be aware that safrole is on the List I precursor chemical of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (for good reason).

I rarely see it cultivated, although it is a fully hardy tree in Southern Ontario.  It can be propagated either from seeds or by root cuttings – according with some sources.
Sassafras seeds are losing their viability when kept dry, like its spicy cousin Lindera benzoin. Beware buying seeds that have been stored dry for longer periods for both these species!

For best germination the seeds need to be sown fresh in early fall, or if kept moist, throughout the fall, so they would first undergo a slightly warm stratification period followed by a cold one (winter).  Treated like this (the natural way) they should germinate in late spring next year. The seedlings seen in the wild, testify for this method.

 

Lindera benzoin seeds will also be available for purchase again this year.
Start your ‘wish’ list, which should always contain first the species from the “moist packed” category – written green in the SEED LIST.

I am planning another short outing, fingers crossed for more new seeds!
Thank you for your interest and patience!