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Family: Lauraceae
Mid-Atlantic bloom time:
March - April
Mid-Atlantic fruit ripe:
June - July
Sassafras is a shrub or tree (up to 40 feet tall) that is an early colonizer but persists in many woodlands. It is best known for its four different shapes of leaves, including no lobes, mitten shaped with a right "thumb", mitten shaped with a left "thumb", and main leaf with lobes on both sides. The root has a distinctive root beer odor and taste.
Sassafras is usually dioecious, with male and female flowers on different trees.
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19 May 2019
Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA (leaves without and with lobes) 
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13 April 2016
Leopold's Preserve, Haymarket, VA 
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13 April 2016
Leopold's Preserve, Haymarket, VA 
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20 April 2018
Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA 
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26 April 2017
G. Richard Thompson Wildlife Management Area, Linden, VA 
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29 August 2014
Vienna, VA 
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29 August 2014
Vienna, VA 
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