I am looking forward to planting one this fall! (I am picking it up this Saturday as a matter of fact) Thanks for posting the link. Great pics =)

I searched and searched but was unsuccessful locating any sassafras seed the last two years down here. Growing conditions have HARSH to say the least and many species of plants have had reduced seed production.

Awesome trees once established for sure!

John

PS - hit the link and skip to 2:33 for a 151" circumference sassafras in Adair County, OK. Check out the huge raccoon eyes Kim gets when talking about the measurements lol

Here is a link that might be useful: Oklahoma Gardening - Recording Big Trees

lcadem,
I have to agree that Sassafras needs to be planted much more, and I think it will. In the past it has been considered VERY difficult to transplant, as it's roots are considered very sensitive to disturbance. However, new production techniques are being increasingly employed that make transplanting this and other previously difficult to transplant trees much easier. In fact I saw B&B Sassafras trees in the Spring for the first time.

For now, I'm including some pics I took last fall of a small groove of Sassafras.

Arktrees

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I've planted 2 "sassyfrack" this fall - bought them from Maplestone Ornamentals over in OH. Hope they grow fast! They had good root systems - Grown in one of those "plant band" type pots, with an open bottom (sort of).

Mine is just starting to turn color - can't wait until the scarlet shows up.

does anybody know if the fruit is messy? I am planning to make a grove of them surrounding the hanging laundry and my wife would be upset to have her clean laundry stained by the trees.

I honestly don't know about the messiness of the flowers, but if you have Japanese Beetle outbreaks in your area....look out! After those beetles get done turning the sassafras leaves to lacework, they like to 'rest' on nice, clean laundry. Ask me how I know.

I also love sassafras...and I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but the exotic disease laurel wilt is devastating sassfras in the lower coastal plain (and heading north). The jury is still out, but it is possible the impact will be similar to what has happened to redbay, which has been nearly eliminated from the same area (also still spreading).

I believe the wilt disease is here in south Alabama. I sometimes see Sassafras seedlings or sprouts, but never any full size trees. The Redbay trees are pretty much gone too.

I was up in the Smoky Mountains a couple of weeks ago, and I did manage too see a few larger Sassafras up there.

Just because a disease is around doesn't mean you should stop planting! See the discussion on Ash in another thread on this forum.

salicaceae, I noticed some kind of wilt killing sassafras decades ago in the SW VA mountains. It was common in the understory with even an occasional canopy tree at first, but was eventually wiped out locally. Looks to be the almost as bad here in western MD. Don't know if it's the same cause or not....

Nectria cankers seem to be one of the worst enemies of Sassafras.

My best freind is lucky enough to have 3 next to her house. They are from seed, she says she never planted them. I checked for seeds but saw none. I am going to look again. I have heard about germination taking time. I love that they can take shade too, I will eventually have lots of that with my oaks. I can wait for the seeds to sprout, no hurry here. I haven't seen any disease/ bug issues here with them, yet anyway.

Gorgeous color on that tree Arktrees!

I love this tree. There are small Sassafras groves in the nearby woodlands, but I have never attempted to transplant a sucker.

Sassafras albidum is one of the primary host plants for the Spicebush Swallowtail. Last summer I collected a few caterpillars and raised some, but this summer was just too busy.

Here is one of the nearby groves, this one is small and growing next to a stream. It seems to be an adaptable tree, since 2 other groves are thriving in upland woods, one is along a fairly steep slope.
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Here's what Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars look like in 4th and 5th instar:
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Thanks terrene. Nice stream & cinnamon ferns...

Terrene's observation of the Spicebush Swallowtail is much appreciated. Sassafras is also reported to be a secondary host to the Palamedes Swallowtail.
At least with us, female trees have produced a bumper crop of seed this year. This pic was taken August 8, just in time for many bird species to fatten up before they begin their southward migration.
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Sassafras has become a volunteer tree down here in CT in my back and side yards. I love these trees! I should have thought about it earlier, but if I wait until September, will sassafras seedlings transplant? My hope is to move a few to my new home in MA (zone 5). Or could I consider it even now?

(Or is it a bad idea to cross state borders with sassafras? I know NOT to do it with ash!!!!)

I got a volunteer seedling this spring, very happy about it. Artimus, maybe contact your states, well, for lack of which title they hold, maybe the forestry dept, or wherever you get a soil test done can tell you who to call?