Plant Details

Sassafras albidum

Sassafras

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Common names

30 names · 22 languages
EnglishYour language
  • cinnamon wood[2]
  • mittenleaf[2]
  • Poor Man's Oak[2]
+2 more namesShow fewer names
Other languages (21)
Dutch
  • Sassafras
French
  • Filé[2]
  • Laurier des Iroquois[2]
  • Sassafras
+1 more nameShow fewer names
  • Sassafras officinal[2]
Alabama
Cherokee
  • ᎧᎾᏍᏓᏥ[2]
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese (Traditional)
  • 北美檫樹[2]
Czech
  • kašťa bělavá[2]
Danish
  • amerikansk sassafras[2]
Finnish
  • amerikansassafras[2]
German
  • Gewöhnlicher Fieberbaum[1]
  • Sassafrasbaum[2]
Italian
  • Sassafrasso[2]
Miami
  • mankiišaahkwi[2]
Mohawk
  • Ka'nhiákera's[2]
Mvskoke
Ojibwe
Polish
  • sasafras lekarski[2]
Portuguese
  • Sassafrás[2]
Russian
  • Сассафрас беловатый[2]
Seneca
  • Onö́sda’shä’[2]
Slovak
  • sasafras belavý[2]
Ukrainian
  • Сасафрас білуватий[2]
Sources & name notes (2)

Names recorded in our plant catalogue and botanical sources, grouped by language. Usage can vary by region.

Numbered references identify names recorded by an external source. Other names are from our plant catalogue.

[1] Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees ↗

Common names from World Plants, version 26.05, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20. License: CC BY.

Source records
  • Sassafras (EN); Gewöhnlicher Fieberbaum (DE) — VernacularName.tsv, line 152294; taxon 79QLB.
[2] Sassafras albidum — iNaturalist taxon names ↗

Community-curated iNaturalist taxonomy; common-name attestation, not an independent botanical determination.

Source records
  • sassafras — results[0].names[1]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • Sassafrasso — results[0].names[2]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • white sassafras — results[0].names[4]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • kašťa bělavá — results[0].names[5]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • Сассафрас беловатый — results[0].names[6]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • Menagwake — results[0].names[7]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • Ka'nhiákera's — results[0].names[8]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • Onö́sda’shä’ — results[0].names[9]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • Chihkafo — results[0].names[10]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • 北美檫樹 — results[0].names[11]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • Poor Man's Oak — results[0].names[12]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • cinnamon wood — results[0].names[13]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • mittenleaf — results[0].names[14]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • amerikansk sassafras — results[0].names[15]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • mankiišaahkwi — results[0].names[16]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • sasafras lekarski — results[0].names[17]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • Sassafrás — results[0].names[18]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • Sassafrasbaum — results[0].names[19]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • ᎧᎾᏍᏓᏥ — results[0].names[20]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • Sassafras officinal — results[0].names[21]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • Laurier des Iroquois — results[0].names[22]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • Filé — results[0].names[23]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • wēso — results[0].names[24]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • amerikansassafras — results[0].names[25]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • sasafras belavý — results[0].names[26]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • 白檫木 — results[0].names[27]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.
  • Сасафрас білуватий — results[0].names[28]; taxon id 54795; Sassafras albidum.

General information

Scientific name: Sassafras albidum
Accepted name (Kew): Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees View name reference ↗

Accepted in the cited Kew taxonomic treatment.

Sources [3] [4]
Botanical family: Lauraceae

Kew's family placement for the genus Sassafras (WCVP v16).

Sources [3]
Also known as: Sassafras
Images: Google Images

Plant characteristics

Layer: Tree
Catalogue size class: Large
Height: 9.14–18.29 m

NC State landscape size range; converted from feet and inches. Size varies with site, age and management.

Sources [1]
Spread: 7.62–12.19 m

NC State landscape size range; converted from feet and inches. Size varies with site, age and management.

Sources [1]
Growth rate: Fast
Sources [1]
Foliage: Deciduous
Sources [1]
Growth habit: Irregular, Multi-stemmed, Pyramidal, Rounded

Whole-plant habit and form as described by NC State.

Sources [1]
Life cycle: Perennial
Sources [1]

Growing conditions

USDA hardiness: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b

USDA zones listed by NC State; winter survival does not establish reliable cropping.

Sources [1]
Soil moisture:
Well-drained, Moist, Occasionally Dry

Moisture and drainage conditions listed by NC State.

Sources [1]
Soil:
Clay, Loam (Silt), Sand, Shallow Rocky
Sources [1]
pH:
Acid (<6.0), Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Sources [1]
Light:
Full sun, Partial Shade
Sources [1]

Uses

Functions:
Companion plant, Dye, Essential oil, Repellent, Wood, Fragrant

Description

Sassafras albidum is a deciduous tree with aromatic leaves and roots. Its leaves have a traditional culinary use as filé, and its roots and bark have historical beverage uses. Sassafras oil contains safrole, which the US National Toxicology Program classifies as reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen on the basis of animal studies. Historical use does not establish safe ingestion of root-bark tea or essential oil.

The safrole hazard classification is based on animal studies; historical beverage use does not establish a safe intake.

Sources [1] [2]

Harvest

Harvest starts: 01/09
Harvest ends: 31/10

Crown

Crown shape: Broad pyramidal
Crown density: Dense crown

Sources and references

References for the information marked with source numbers on this page.

Sources checked
  1. NC State Extension, North Carolina State University Sassafras albidum (Cinnamon Wood, Common Sassafras, Mitten Tree, Sassafras, White Sassafras) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
    Supports: DescriptionHeightSpreadGrowth rateFoliageGrowth habitLife cycleLightSoil moistureSoil textureSoil pHUSDA hardiness
    Relevant sections
    • Description: Description; Whole Plant Traits; Edibility; Poison Symptoms and Toxic Principle, where applicable
    • Height: Dimensions > Height; Height: 30 ft. 0 in. - 60 ft. 0 in.
    • Spread: Dimensions > Width; Width: 25 ft. 0 in. - 40 ft. 0 in.
    • Growth rate: Growth Rate
    • Foliage: Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics
    • Growth habit: Habit/Form
    • Life cycle: Life Cycle
    • Light: Light
    • Soil moisture: Soil Drainage
    • Soil texture: Soil Texture
    • Soil pH: Soil pH
    • USDA hardiness: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

    Source checked on .

  2. US Department of Health and Human Services, National Toxicology Program Safrole; Report on Carcinogens, Fifteenth Edition
    Supports: Description
    Relevant sections
    • Description: Page 1; Carcinogenicity and Use

    Source checked on .

  3. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew World Checklist of Vascular Plants, version 16, extracted 4 June 2026
    Supports: Botanical familyTaxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Botanical family: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 698578; name ID 2591963; Sassafras J.Presl. Family column.
    • Taxonomy: WCVP v16, wcvp_names.csv row 698579; name ID 2591964; Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees.

    Source checked on .

    Source data licence: CC BY 3.0.

  4. Catalogue of Life Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20 — Sassafras albidum

    Taxonomic data from World Plants, version 26.05, reproduced in Catalogue of Life 2026-08-20.

    Supports: Taxonomy
    Relevant sections
    • Taxonomy: COL 2026-08-20, NameUsage.tsv line 2663140, ID 79QLB: Sassafras albidum (Nutt.) Nees (accepted).

    Source checked on .