The Sassafras-tree is usually a shrub in this part of the country,
abounding in almost all woods, and very generally sought for the
pleasant aromatic savor of the bark. Occasionally I have seen the
Sassafras growing to the height of a middle-sized tree in Massachusetts,
but it rarely attains such dimensions except in the Middle and Southern
States. All the large trees in this region have perished, and I have not
seen one since my boyhood, when there were many of them. I am therefore
led to believe that the changes in our climate consequent upon the
general clearing of the forest, whatever their general effects may be,
have not been favorable to the Sassafras, which has become extinct as a
tree in this latitude.
The Sassafras often attains the height of sixty feet in the Southern
States, and nearly forty feet in the country round Philadelphia. The
leaves, when young, are downy, very deeply lobed, mucilaginous, and
aromatic. The flowers are greenish, inconspicuous, and only slightly
fragrant. The berries are of a bright blue color, and are the favorite
food of some small birds. On account of its agreeable aromatic
properties, the Sassafras became known to the Europeans at an early
period, and was very generally employed in medicine. At present it is
simply used as an aromatic stimulant. Gerard calls it the ague-tree, and
it was believed to be efficacious in the cure of many diseases. There is
a tradition that the odors of the Sassafras, wafted from the American
shore, led Columbus to believe that land was near, and encouraged him
and his mutinous crew to persevere on their voyage.