Station 8: Sassafras Trees

Sassafras trees are not common in Edmund Woods but have grown in a small cluster here. All parts of the plant are fragrant. The leaves and bark smell somewhat citrusy, and the roots have a distinctive root beer scent, and, in fact, early colonists used the roots to make root beer. Sassafras tea is steeped from the bark. Sassafras has been used for a variety of medicinal purposes, including as an astringent, a stimulant, a pain reliever, and a salve for skin eruptions. Leaves of three shapes, including the distinctive mitten shape, can be found on a single tree.