Sassafras

This tree is one of the 150 trees initially included in the arboretum to coincide with the campus's 150th anniversary celebration.

Scientific Name:
Sassafras albidum

Cultivar:

Native to:
Maine to Ontario and Michigan, south to Florida and Texas

Mature Height and Width:
30-60 feet by 25-40 feet

Additional Notes:
Sassasfras is best known for its distinct array of simple, mitten, and trident shaped leaves.  Ecologically, sassafras plays an important role in shaping the development of forests following disturbances, such as fire, wind or harvest.  In many areas, sassafras thickets form quickly, either from seeds carried by wildlife or from sprouts arising from the root systems of damaged treed.  These thickets produce a variety of natural herbicides and therefore influences which tree species will next dominate the forest canopy.