Sharon, my mother always told me there were two kinds of sassafras trees. One wasn't good for making tea. When my kids were growing up, we had some trees in the edge of the yard. We never used them, but you could sure smell them! In the fall, they looked like gold as you came down the road toward them!
Audrey

Audrey,
As far as I know there is only one sassafras that grows in our area and is native and that's the Sassafras albidum. Some call it Red Sassafras, some call it White but I don't know that there's a difference at all, except in what it's called. It's a tree of the laurel family, but most of the others of the laurel line are evergreen and sassafras is not.

The only trees I've ever known had the root beer scent and flavor and the three leaf shapes, mitten like but often with fingers.

I think I've made sassafras tea from every sassafras tree that I ever met.
They are beautiful trees; smell good too.

Same here, Sharon, I wouldn't hesitate to yank up a young sass tree for the roots. All the ones around here turn red in the fall/winter before the leaves fall.

Audrey, love your avatar...is that a real dog? What a cutie!

Shoe

A real dog, but not mine! I wish! Someone sent me a bunch of cute doggie pix, and U swiped that one for me!

Yep, what a cutie, I'd carry that one around in my coat everywhere I went!

Happy New Year to you and all others!

Shoe