SASSAFRAS
Sassafras variifolium, (Salis.) Kuntze.
Form.—Height 40-50 feet, diameter 1-3 feet; trunk usually short, stout, and bearing an open crown of contorted branches.
Leaves.—Alternate, simple, ovate in outline, entire, or 2-5 lobed, 4-6 inches long, smooth, dark green above, paler beneath.
Flowers.—May, with the leaves; dioecious; both sexes about ½ inch long, greenish yellow, in few-flowered, drooping racemes.
Fruit.—Matures in early autumn; a dark blue, berry-like drupe, one-third inch long, borne on a bright red thickened stalk with persistent calyx.
Bark.—Rough, with shallow fissures and flat-topped connected ridges, light brown.
Wood.—Soft, weak, brittle, durable in the soil, aromatic, dull orange-brown with thin lighter sapwood.
Range.—Massachusetts to Florida, and west to Texas, Kansas and Michigan.
Distribution in West Virginia.—A common tree distributed throughout the State except at high elevations.
Habitat.—Prefers sandy loam. Common in thin soil of worn out fields and along fence rows.
Notes.—This species is commonly considered a weed among trees. The wood is very durable when in contact with the ground but is not often used. The fruits are eagerly eaten by birds and the aromatic bark is used for flavoring candy and medicine.