Does anyone have any good or bad experiences to share regarding sassafras trees?

We have a volunteer sassafras growing in front of where our oak tree had to be cut down. We are thinking of keeping it since I saw on some sites that it has very nice fall color. It is between 2-3 feet high and has a good center trunk that I believe we can train into a nice tree. I don't know that much about sassafras in the landscape and would love to hear from anyone who have experience with them in their yards.
My concerns are:
1) Reading about the drupes on the female trees has me a little wary. Are they messy? Don't know if we have a male or female.
2) Some sites say that the branches break easily in wind and ice storms.

Thank you!

The drupes are small, and the birds eat them as quick as they are ripe...
Most people never even see the fruit!

I don't notice the limbs being a problem... except the time I had a climbing bean on one of them.

Good Spring colour too!



Found a neat saddleback caterpillar on sassafras once... otherwise look for Spicebush Swallowtail Caterpillars.

Very desirable wildlife plant...

About the only thing that anyone might find objectionable is when they send up sprouts from the roots... and there are far worse offenders in the landscape.

Thank you very much, Stone. That makes me feel much better about letting it grow. Good spring color as well as fall is wonderful!

I was actually hoping to try making sassafras tea. So if I see little starts, that would be fine with me.

Not too sure about the tea concept...

After you read about why they took sassafras out of root beer... maybe you'll be less inclined to dig up the roots...
I do still use the leaves in my cooking, though.

Hmmm. Have not heard about using the leaves in cooking. What do you put them in? Sounds like I have some research to do, lol!

I did read about the FDA banning the use of it commercially. But I would still like to try the tea. I think, like other lab tests performed, the lab rats were given large doses of safrole. I think in moderation it will be okay.

I actually have made root tea on occasion....
File' is good in about anything savory...
So all my soups and stews....

Down in louisiana they add it to gumbo... I prolly wouldn't call my stews gumbo... Although.... I'm not sure what the difference is.... Crawdads and sausage, and clams and stuff, probably. Tomatoes and okra, probably.

Sounds like I may have to try it in my vegetable soup. I need to read up on it more though. Since we are going into fall and this little tree is only 2 feet tall, I don't want to damage it by using it just yet.

We had one pop up next to a pine tree. It is so close that it can't be moved. Anyway, I love seeing when it gets its fall colors. Mine will probably never get over 3 feet tall due to how close it is to the pine.

Aw, what a shame, sallysmom. But I am glad that yours has pretty fall colors. Fall color and other good things has convinced me that we need to keep this little tree

Did you keep this tree? Any pics? I have a few growing out back in a wooded area that are about 5 or 6 feet tall(quite small for now). I am trying to decide if I should keep them or at least one. My neighbor has one and he called them brittle. His broke abot 25 feet up. The main trunk just broke in half.

@abrahamx, yes we still have this tree for now. However, the Japanese beetles really like it too, so we have to treat it each year. Ours is probably 10 feet tall at least by now, so it will become harder to get to those JB's in a couple years.

I do have pictures, but am not at home right now, so will have to come back later. Sorry to hear about the neighbor's breaking in half. I may have to reconsider if sassafras trees are considered brittle.

blue23rose said:@abrahamx, yes we still have this tree for now. However, the Japanese beetles really like it too, so we have to treat it each year. Ours is probably 10 feet tall at least by now, so it will become harder to get to those JB's in a couple years.

I do have pictures, but am not at home right now, so will have to come back later. Sorry to hear about the neighbor's breaking in half. I may have to reconsider if sassafras trees are considered brittle.

There's a soil treatment against Japanese beetle based on a bacterium called Paenibacillum popilliae which can kill the larvae while they are still in the ground. It's basically a powder to be spread on the area around the plants or crop you must protect. It's USDA approved so no problem obtaining it.

Thanks!

I am originally from Louisiana & was raised by my dad & grandmother. She would fix this drink with sassafras. If I remember right there was some way she would do it for colds too. But that old lady also ate poke salad any chance she could too so who knows. I have some sassafras growing at the wood line all over my property. They do send out shoots which can be annoying but haven't ever noticed them being easily broken.