How Do You Identify Sassafras

The easily recognizable tree feature is the mitten-shaped or three-lobed green-yellowish leaves. You can also identify sassafras trees by crushing the leaves or cutting the bark to see if it exudes a strong lemony aroma. If you notice differently shaped leaves on a tree, it is probably identified as a sassafras tree.

What does the bark of a sassafras tree look like?

Young saplings have relatively smooth greenish bark, but mature trees have deeply furrowed reddish-brown bark. If a little piece of the outer bark is broken off a mature tree, the bark beneath is a reddish-orange color. Bark of a mature sassafras with a few pieces broken off, revealing the reddish-orange beneath.

How do you identify a sassafras tree in the spring?

In early spring, bright yellow six-petaled flowers appear in drooping clusters. After blooming for two or three weeks, pollinated sassafras flowers develop into blackish-blue drupes that appear in dangling clusters. Its aromatic, citrusy bark has deep furrows and is a reddish-brown color.