Sassafras

 Sassafras albidum

Identification Information

Date: Sunday, June 13, 2021

Time:  5:50 p.m.

Location:  Hunsicker’s Grove (9350 Longswamp Road, Mertztown, PA 19539)

Habitat:  Temperate Mixed Forest, dominated by Hickory-Oak

Weather conditions:  75 degrees Fahrenheit, slightly humid, cloudy skies

A Sassafras baby!  Sassafras leaves grow in an alternate pattern.  The leaves are slightly oval (about 5 inches long and 3 inches wide).  This is such a fun tree because it has three different types of leaves, and they can all be around at the same time.  I remember leader pointing these out during a hike in girl scouts years ago.  I was so intrigued.  The leaves can have one lobe, two, or three.

(Brockman, 1986, p. 156)

This tree was only a few feet taller than me (maybe 8 feet tall).
It has a stick of a trunk... 3 inches in diameter.  This tree was growing on the edge of a trail and small field, in the riparian zone of a pond.  I wonder how well this tree will do because it is in the shade but does well with full sun.

Sassafras has uses in medicine and flavoring food.  How cool would it be to make my own root beer?

 Sassafras albidum. (2021, June 9). Wikipedia. Retrieved June 15, 2021, from https://en.wikipedia.org/ 

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