The [FRUIT] is a nearly round, rather fleshy, shiny, dark blue or nearly black [drupe], about ½ inch long. It ripens in the autumn and contains a large rounded stone.
The WOOD is heavy, hard, strong, bright red, with thin, lighter colored [sapwood]. It is used for cabinet-making, and interior house finish, and has been used for boat construction.
SILKBAY (Persea humilis Nash) is a dwarf or low growing shrub or tree 6 to 10 feet in height occurring in southern Texas.
SASSAFRAS
Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees
This small tree with [aromatic] leaves and twigs is usually not over 40 feet in height or a foot in diameter. It is common in Texas west to the Brazos River on the drier soils, and is one of the first broad-leaved trees to grow on abandoned fields, where the seeds are dropped by birds. The species is closely related to the camphor tree of Japan. The [BARK] is red-brown and deeply furrowed while the bark of the twigs is bright green.
The LEAVES are unusual in that they vary widely in shape on the same tree, or even on the same twig. Some are [oval] and entire, 4 to 6 inches long; others have one lobe, resembling a mitten; while still others are divided at the outer end into 3 distinct lobes.
SASSAFRAS (Twig, one-half natural size; leaf and [fruit], one-third natural size)
The FLOWERS are clustered, greenish-yellow, and open with the first unfolding of the leaves. The male and female flowers are usually on different trees. The [FRUIT] is an [oblong], dark blue or black lustrous [drupe] surrounded at the base by what appears to be a small orange-red or scarlet cup at the end of the scarlet [peduncle].
The WOOD is light, soft, weak, brittle, and durable in the soil; the [heartwood] is dull orange-brown. It is used for posts and crossties. The [bark] of the roots yields the very [aromatic] oil of sassafras much used for flavoring candies and various commercial products. The bark of the root is sold in small bundles for making sassafras tea.