Sassafras, along with red maple, sugar maple and scarlet oak are abundant in anthocyanins that produce deep wine and red fall colors. The beautiful yellow, orange, or red leaves of sassafras may be unlobed, have a rounded lobe on only one side, or have two lobes. S. albidum is one of the most colorful fall trees and you will often see them along fencerows, roadsides, and forest edges throughout most of eastern North America.
The crushed leaf of sassafras leaf has one of the most unique aromas in the Eastern forest. Young spring leaves are dried and powdered to thicken Creole soups and stews called filé gumbo. The bark of the root makes an excellent tea.
More Autumn Leaf Photos
An Autumn Leaf Cross Section
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