Twigs: Slender, green, smooth, aromatic; leaf scars alternate, small, half-round, usually with three bundle traces.
Buds: Ovoid, scarcely pointed at the tip, greenish, up to one-fourth inch long.
Leaves: Alternate, simple; blades of three different shapes, some 3-lobed, some 2-lobed, some unlobed, tapering to the base, up to 6 inches long, without teeth along the edges, green and smooth on the upper surface, paler and either smooth or hairy on the lower surface. The leaves turn brilliant shades of orange, red, and yellow in the autumn.
Flowers: Staminate and pistillate flowers borne on separate trees, in few-flowered clusters as the leaves begin to unfold, each flower about ⅓ inch long, greenish-yellow.
Fruit: Dark blue berries about one-third inch long in deep red cups and on stalks up to 2 inches long.
Wood: Soft, brittle, orange-brown.
Uses: Fence posts; the roots are strongly aromatic and are dug, dried, and used in the making of sassafras tea.
Habitat: Roadsides, old fields, woods.
Range: Maine across to Michigan and (formerly) Wisconsin, south to Texas, east to Florida.
Distinguishing Features: The Sassafras is distinguished by its distinctively shaped, aromatic leaves and its green twigs.