sassafras

[caludia]

i'm getting some sass. albidum's springing up.

the little rascals arent easy!

Great for root beer.

does anyone else grow this, and if so do you know the gender of your trees?

[planthelper]

excellent work!

this tree is on my wish list together with atherosperma moschatum, in case you have surplus stock, plz pm me.

[Happy Cadaver]

http://www.guruna.com/product_info.php?products_id=263

Jumbo Gumboots has Southern Sass plants in stock ph.

[Tryptameanie]

Has anyone done the research on the several common native species of "sassafrass" in NSW rainforest(eg Doryphora sassafrass and Cinnamomum oliveri) as to safrole content and feasability of extraction?

Mmmm..."root beer" is so good, but not easy to find here...

And talking of beer, I'm gunna try making ginger beer with dark malt instead of sugar, a sort of ginger stout.

[caludia]

 

quote:

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Mmmm..."root beer" is so good, but not easy to find here...

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i long for the ancient days when beverages were REAL beverages

when root beer was real root beer

coca cola was real coca cola

pernod was real pernod....

[2b]

The content of Safrole in the native species is debatable , i read somewhere that a paper was published stating that there was safrole in the native varieties. This could not be proved as the author that tried to extract from native species had no luck at all , this possibly could be due to time of the year i think was stated , if i find the link i will post it (could have been an old ALT.Drugs post from memory ? )

[Tryptameanie]

Ta, please do post if you turn anything up

Do you know what species were tested by the author you refer to? Do we have native members of the sassafrass genus or was it the species I mentioned?

[caludia]

2b, might have been this one?

http://designer-drugs.com/pte/12.162.180.1...safrolefaq.html

[smogs]

for ginger beer i recomend raw sugar...

it adds a good flavour to the beer... i love home brewed ginger beer... i generally brew it up to 7% or so... but can get ya into trouble because it doesnt taste alcoholic at all!

previously i have taken 2 bottles (750ml) to pc so i dont ahve to get up ina while drink them... go to take a piss and then fall on floor!

[2b]

MetalGumbo-RajinCajin , spot on . That was the article i had read. The amendment at the bottom is the same , though it seems a little more comprehensive than i remember.

[Entheo]

Tryptameanie:

Has anyone done the research on the several common native species of "sassafrass" in NSW rainforest(eg  Doryphora sassafrass and Cinnamomum oliveri)  as to safrole content and feasability of extraction?

yes, on a purely research level I have made a list of all the Allyl & Propenyl Benzene Essential Oils in Australian plants for bush food safety data. As the occurence of these in high amounts is a concern for the Bush Food Industry, eg:

Tasmannia Lanceolata: Developing a New Commercial Flavour Product

www.rirdc.gov.au/reports/EOI/99-124.pdf

[waterdragon]

definately interested in attaining some s.albidiums, viable seeds or young trees. keep us posted if they should become available. from the piccys i've seen they throw a better autumn display than many maple types. will be planting silver birch soon in quantity - not just because they harbour the fly or for their colours in autumn but also because a sweet syrup can be extracted from them in a similar fashion to the sugar maple.

[caludia]

waterdragon, such colour in autumn! also they would prob grow well in your area. anyway we'll see what happens...

[waterdragon]

they are reputed to tolerate the cold and it is on my mission statement to acquire these. please keep me in mind when looking to part with any seedlings/ young trees. can pay. can also bribe, cajole, lie, manouvre, cheat, swindle, thwart your attempts to retain, and other nefarious means of procuring.

[ 01. April 2005, 20:08: Message edited by: waterdragon ]

[gusto]

I'd be thought mad if I tried to sell a Sassafras albidum here in the SE USA. They grow by the hundreds along fencerows, and if land is being cleared by bulldozer, the air is ripe with their distinctive scent. Used the roots to make tea when I was a kid, but seldom give them a second thought now. Fall color is indeed nice though.

[waterdragon]

i have read reports of their abundance in the u.s., funny how some people have too much and others can't get, kudzu would be a good example of that too.

[Rev]

Ask shipards herb farm about Kudzu

apparently they grow it

So gusto... are you going to be a champ and offer us up some batces of sassy seed for swaps this season?

Count me in

along wih gingko n magnolias i reckon theyre great trees for intrsts sake cos theyre so ancient.

i think i read sassafras has been around since the triassic era

theres 3 species - one in the USA , one in Taiwan and one in mainland china - i think. Only the US one is even remotely acessible to us

[gusto]

I'd be happy to collect some Sassafras seed if I can remember. Someone may want to jog my noggin with a pm later this year, say August or Sept. Don't know how finicky the seed are with respect to storage conditions, but my guess is that they're not too particular. If anyone has any details, feel free to advise.

Didn't realize that S. albidum was an ancient species. I have had success years ago growing gingko from collected seed. The smell of those gingko fruit was almost enough to make my wife bail out of the car. Can understand why grafted males are preferred as ornamentals.

[Torsten]

from my experience and understanding the seeds need to hit soil within a few days of ripening or it will die. If you indeed have a tree nearby I can give you instructions on how to harvest and prepare the seed for best shipping around the world.

[gusto]

Yep, trees within 100 meters of my back step. Maybe it would be best to leave the harvested drupe whole for shipment? Fire away with your collection protocol cap'n. Funny how the hardest ones to propogate often multiply like weeds when left to their own devices.

[Torsten]

we have a similar issue with Cinnamomum camphora here, which is closely related and very weedy in this district. Basically the berries hit the ground straight after being digested by birds. The germinate and the radicle will just sit there until spring and then shoot the aerial part. I presume a similar thing happens to sassafras because the seedlings don't actually pop up till spring.

Shipping with drupe is essential. Quarantine doesn't like this though, so expect some losses.

The seed should be harvested just as it turns purple. A bit of green won't hurt - it will post-ripen in transit. These firm berries will ship quite well in an airy box.

The species is a permitted import to australia, so the only objection will be the berry.

[Rev]

My mistake - cretaceous not triassic...oops

If n when available id take my chances with fresj but cleaned seed. Others seem to have success with it - and i figure the chances are much higher if it really is fresh instead of unknown age like from richters

 

quote:

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SASSAFRAS

 

by Joan Russell, Freelance Food Writer The Smorgasbord

http://www.the-smorgasbord.com

 

Sassafras is known as white sassafras, root beer tree, ague tree and saloop. It is legendary for its use in making tea and for use as a tonic to purify the blood. It grows as a small tree in clumps in old fields and at the woods edge because it spreads by underground runners. In the mountains it will grow to sixty feet tall. The American sassafras is cultivated primarily for the bark of its root. There is some controversy over the oil obtained from the root bark called oil of sassafras as it contains safrol, which is a substance known to cause cancer. The oil has been banned from use in food in the US.

 

BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

 

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) is a deciduous ornamental tree and shrub of the laurel family. They are small to large trees with thick furrowed dark reddish brown bark at maturity. The bark, roots, branches, leaves flowers and fruits contain oils that give off a pleasant spicy odor when broken or crushed. The leaves are oval, mitten shaped or three-divided. They bear either male or female flowers. Flowering is in the spring and they are grouped in hanging clusters of greenish yellow color. The fruit is dark blue berries. The tree grows 32-50 feet in height. Sassafras can be grown as a small tree or shrub or makes a good canopy tree for woodland gardens.

 

Sassafras is grown throughout the eastern United States. The tree’s other names are saxifrax, sassafrac, gumbo filé, green stick, cinnamon wood and golden elm.

 

The red sassafras is identified by some botanists as (Sassafras albidum molle). The leaves of the red sassafras make a good addition to candy and icing. It has soft hairiness on the leaves and twigs.

 

Sassafras is a very healthy tree and is free of pest and diseases in the U.S. The trees flowers early when about 10 years old and the seeds are produced every 2-3 years.

 

A BRIEF HISTORY

 

Fossil records of species of sassafras date from Early Cretaceous time. A hundred million years ago some species of dinosaur may have munched on sassafras leaves. The Indians called this the "green stick" tree because of its smooth, bright-green twigs. The tree brought hope of cures for illness and

 

wealth to those who used it. The root, called pauame by Native Americans, was one of the first exports from the new world back to England. Sassafras earned its fame from its highly prized oil, used for years to flavor candies, root beer, soap and perfume. The oil was extracted from the roots and stumps of the trees. In 1610, sassafras was so highly prized that England demanded sassafras oil from the colony of Virginia as a condition of charter.

 

Europeans held sassafras in high regard. They believed it had curative powers. During the bubonic plague, physicians wore nose beaks of potent spices, such as sassafras, to ward off the disease.

 

Sassafras also was popular as a drink and, on London street corners served up "saloop," a drink made of sassafras tea laced with hot milk.

 

In 1596 Frances Drake brought the roots of the sassafras from North America to England. Sassafras tea gained acceptance as a cure all. The oil has been used to control lice and treat insect bites. The oil caused skin irritation in some people however. They make soaps, and perfume with the oil. The tea made from the root has been used for colds, kidney ailments, rheumatism, skin eruptions. The trees were popular with American Indian for its wide variety of uses.

 

USES IN FOOD

 

The leaves can be mixed in salads and used as a thickening agent in soups. Older leaves Can be dried and turned into powder. The oil after the removal of safrol in US is used in root beer. Root beer was made back in the 19th century. The original recipe was a fermented mixture of water, molasses or sugar and the plant extracts.

 

File powder, which is ground sassafras leaves, is an important ingredient in Louisiana Creole and Cajun cookery. The Choctaw Indians made it for gumbo soup. The roots makes sassafras tea. One recipes is wash the roots, beat to a pulp with a hammer, boil with water and sugar until the tea. has red-dish amber color, a heady aroma and pleasant taste. Some people serve the tea with sugar honey or milk. A pound of roots will make a gallon of tea.

 

It is used to make candy and jelly. The candy is made from grated bark, boiled strained then poured into boiling sugar then let harden and break into small pieces. The jelly is made from two cups strong sassafras tea and one package powdered pectin. Add three cups strained honey. Strain and put in Jars let jelly thicken slowly.

 

CULTIVATION

 

The propagation of sassafras is simple. Fresh seeds are known to give best results. They should be sown immediately in a cold frame and begin to germinate in the spring. Stored seed will need four months of cold stratification at 4 degrees. The seeds should be soaked 24 hours in warm water then mixed in with some damp compost. They should be put in the salad compartment of the fridge for 3 to 4 months. As soon as they are large enough to handle the seedlings should be put into individual pots to grow in the greenhouse for at least the first winter before planting outside. This is recommended to protect the trees by growing them indoors the first year before planting them outside.

 

CONCLUSION

 

There are 3 species of sassafras found in central mainland China, Taiwan and the third in eastern North America. Neither of the oriental sassafras trees are cultivated in North America.

 

Next time you want to plant a new tree in your garden or yard consider cultivating the Sassafras tree. It is time consuming but well worth it. Not only does it provide an ornamental Addition but you can use the leaves and roots to make tea, candy or jam.

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[ 04. April 2005, 00:51: Message edited by: Rev ]

[Rev]

I just had a fresh look to see if theres any plants avil onlin in Aust. but only found this customs notice instead

http://www.customs.gov.au/webdata/resource...es/ACN04212.pdf

[Pisgah]

This place in the southeastern US ships internationally, only prob is $1000USD min order, 40% shipping fee, and $50USD phytosanitary cert.

http://www.tytyga.com/shadetree/pg48-sassafras.html

[Amulte]

yeah id love to get some seeds in aust. been sniffing around but havnt found.

yeah i found out how customs dont like it when i accidently had it on a list of herbs i took to a herbalist to see if they stocked it. yeah an hour later she shut up.

but would love to find some seeds