Newspaper Page Text
PAGE 8C
^Reporter
November 23, 2016
Monroe Outdoors
Sassafras: Beautiful tree, wrongfully sullied
BY TERRY W.
JOHNSON
E ach autumn
I look for
ward to
Mother
Nature
blanketing the Monroe
County countryside with
an explosion of bright
yellow, orange
and red leaves.
Some of our
larger trees such
as sweetgum,
yellow poplar,
maple and hick
ory contribute
the vast majority
of the color seen
in this majes
tic quilt that is
draped across
our woodlands.
However, to me, the
brilliant colors of some
of our smaller trees are
just as beautiful. In
fact, when the splashes
of color they offer are
interwoven into the
quilt, the whole scene
becomes even more spec
tacular. One tree that
provides these colorful
blotches of color is the
sassafras.
In fact, none other
than the Arbor Day
Foundation rates the
sassafras as one of the
top fall trees in the
United States. This is
quite a fete for such a
small tree.
What the sassafras
lacks in height it more
than makes up for in
the color of its autumn
foliage. Each fall the
tree’s three to seven-
inch leaves turn varying
shades of red, purple,
orange and yellow.
If you closely exam
ine these leaves, you
will notice that they
are unlike the leaves
of most other trees--
Terry W. Johnson
they grow in three
distinctly different
shapes. The form
most of us are famil
iar with is the mit
ten. Interestingly on
the same branch, you
might also see leaves
that are egg-shaped
and three-lobed.
Every
couple of
years or
so, female
sassafras
trees bear
a crop of
pea-sized,
dark-blue,
oval fruits
borne on
red stalks.
These
fruits are
relished by a variety
of critters such as
downy and pileated
woodpeckers, quail,
wild turkeys, north
ern flickers, eastern
kingbirds, mock
ingbirds, phoebes,
yellow-bellied sap-
suckers, squirrels,
black bears, rabbits, and
others.
Wildlife like beavers,
rabbits, and white-tailed
deer also dine on the
tree’s bark, leaves and
branches. It is interest
ing to note that sassa
fras is a host plant for
the beautiful spicebush
swallowtail butterfly.
Male and female flow
ers appear on separate
plants. Although the
flowers are far from
showy, in springtime
sassafras flowers give
off a pleasing lemony
scent.
While sassafras pre
fers to grow in sandy,
rich, well-drained soils
it does tolerate dry soil
types. The tree grows in
both partial shade and
In autumn, leaves of the sassafras tree turn shades of red, purple, orange and yellow to add
to the beauty of the landscape. (Photo/Terry Johnson)
full sun.
Native Americans have
long prized sassafras;
to them the sassafras
was a veritable medicine
chest. They use all parts
of the tree to concoct
medicines to treat an
amazing array of mala
dies like coughing, diar
rhea, wounds, rheuma
tism, scarlet fever, and
measles.
Upon learning of the
reported therapeutic
benefits of the plant,
early colonists and
explorers were quick to
promote the merits of
the plant in Europe. For
example, in 1565, Sir
Francis Drake returned
to port with a load of
sassafras roots.
Later, during the
early 1600’s, Sir Walter
Raleigh further fueled
demand for sassafras
when he exported sas
safras back to England
from the Virginia
Colony. Upon hearing of
the medicinal and culi
nary values of sassafras,
the demand for what at
the time many thought
was a wonder drug
soared. As such, by the
1600’s, the value of sas
safras exported from the
New World was second
only to tobacco.
To this day, sassafras
is used as a spice in
Cajun and other recipes.
It is also used to make
candy, perfumes and
drinks.
Many of us grew up
drinking sassafras tea
brewed from sassafras
roots. This practice
waned during the early
1970’s, when it was
reported that the chemi
cal safrole found in sas
safras caused cancer in
laboratory rats.
These findings prompt
ed the Food and Drug
Administration to ban
the use of safrole in
foods and beverages
including our beloved
root beer.
Research conducted
since that time by
Lawrence Berkeley
National Laboratory
has suggested that the
original research was
flawed. Their studies
concluded that a person
could drink sassafras
tea every day for the
rest of their lives and
still not equal the dos
ages administered to
rats during the origi
nal study. On top of
that, it was found that
safrole doesn’t cause
cancer. It seems that
safrole breaks down
into the compound
1 -hydroxysafrole in
the digestive system
of rats---this chemi
cal is carcinogenic. In
comparison, the con
version of safrole into
1-hydroxysafrole does
not occur in the human
digestive tract.
In spite of these find
ings, the FDA has yet
to lift the ban on saf
role although it is pres
ent in a variety of other
popular spices such as
cinnamon, black pepper
and nutmeg.
Oh well, perhaps one
day we will pick up the
paper and read that
the FDA has ruled we
can once again drink
sassafras tea and
our beloved root beer
brewed as sassafras
root extract without
fear of getting cancer.
In the meantime, go
outside and treat your
self to the beautiful fall
colors provided by the
lowly sassafras. I have
a few small sassafras
trees growing in my
yard and I will have
to admit, if it were not
for their bright red and
orange foliage displayed
on these trees, my
little corner of Mother
Nature’s autumn quilt
would not be as stun
ning.
Terry Johnson is
the retired Program
Manager of the Georgia
Nongame-Endangered
Wildlife Program. Pie
has written an infor
mative column for the
Reporter for many years.
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all wrapped up.
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