I pulled a low branch toward me in the damp back corner where the lawn meets the woods edge. An oval leaf, a mitten leaf, and a three-lobed leaf all sat within arm's reach on the same plant. I had my hand on all three before I even stepped closer. The most special trait of the sassafras tree is right there. One tree wears three leaf shapes at once, and almost nothing else in your yard does that. That oddity is the headline among all the sassafras tree special features.
Most trees grow one leaf shape and stick with it. Sassafras breaks that rule on a single branch. You get smooth oval leaves with no lobes, mitten leaves with one thumb off to the side, and leaves with three rounded lobes like a little hand. Each leaf you pick runs 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) long. They turn brilliant orange, red, and yellow in fall. If you have a small grove in your yard, it lights up the season.
The botany behind this is simpler than it looks. A young sassafras pours out all three forms at once with no clear pattern. You will even see two shapes on one twig. As the tree ages, it leans back toward mostly plain oval leaves. So a tall old trunk near the road can fool you. It looks like a different species than the knee-high seedling at its base, even though they share the same roots.
Then there is the smell, and this is what seals it for you. Sassafras is an aromatic native tree through and through. Snap a twig, scratch the bark, or crush a leaf in your fingers. You get a warm, spicy scent that people compare to root beer, citrus peel, and old-fashioned candy. The roots carry it strongest of all. That scent is why early settlers brewed the roots into tea and flavored the first root beer with them. Once you smell it, you can name the tree from a few feet away.
This tree earns its reputation across a wide range too. Roughly 1.9 billion sassafras trees grow across 28 states, mostly in the eastern half of the country. The Georgia Native Plant Society named it Plant of the Year in 2013. That honor was a nod to how well it feeds local wildlife. The caterpillars of the spicebush swallowtail eat the leaves. Birds go after the small dark blue berries that ripen on the female trees in late summer. So your yard tree pulls double duty as a food source for bugs and birds alike.
Want to spot one on your next walk? Look at the foliage first. If a single small tree shows you ovals, mittens, and three-lobed leaves all mixed together, you are close. Confirm it with your nose. Pinch off a leaf or scrape a green twig with your thumbnail, then smell it. A sweet, spicy, root-beer scent settles the question on the spot. Check the back edges where mowed grass meets brush, since that is where young sassafras likes to start.
So what makes this tree special is that it packs three tricks into one plant. It changes its leaf shapes as it grows. It perfumes the woods with a root-beer scent. And it carries real history in every cup of old-time tea. Find one on your next walk, crush a leaf, and you will never forget what a sassafras smells like.
Read the full article: Sassafras Tree: Leaves, Uses and Safety
