Sassafras

Sassafras albidum

Illustration: Sassafras (Sassafras albidum) mitten leaves

Identification: Tree/shrub with three leaf shapes on one plant: oval, mitten (one thumb), and three-lobed. Crushed leaves and roots smell of root beer. Blue-black fruit on red stalks in fall.

Dangerous look-alikes: No confusion once the mitten leaves + root-beer scent are confirmed together.

Edible parts: Young leaves (dried = filé powder); roots (traditional tea — see caution).

Season and habitat: Leaves spring–summer; roots fall–winter. Woodland edges, old fields.

Preparation: Dry young leaves and powder for filé — the authentic gumbo thickener. Root tea is the traditional 'spring tonic,' but safrole in the root oil is a rodent carcinogen — the FDA banned commercial safrole; occasional traditional tea is a personal-risk call, and this book does not recommend it as routine.