Gumbo filé, Sassafras

Sun Exposure: Full sun to part shade

Origin: Eastern North America, from Ontario south to Florida and Texas

Growth Habits: Small to medium-sized deciduous tree, 30 to 60 feet tall (9-18 m), 20-40 feet spread (6-12 m); root suckering; brown scented bark, coarsely, ridged and furrowed; fragrant leaves, 3 to 6 inches long with 1 to 3 lobes, turning brilliant yellow, orange, or red in the fall

Flowers: Greenish flowers

Watering Needs: Regular water, prefers a soil slightly acid

Propagation: Fresh seeds in the fall, suckers in late winter, difficult to transplant because of its tap root, when injured during transplant, or when grown from suckers, tend to sucker heavily

Picture U.S.D.A Forest Service, Courtesy of the Hunt Institute

The leaves are used in Cajun and Creole cooking. The root oil was used to flavor root beer.

Blooming Habits:
Dioecious, they bear yellowish green flowers on 2 inches long racemes in early spring.

Fruiting Habits:
Female trees bear dark blue, ovoid, fleshy drupes on red stalks. They mature in late summer.