🌳Tree of the Month for October 2025
Howdy, Park goers! Welcome to the Tree of the Month series by Forestry Supervisor, Joseph Hart. Each month, our forestry team will spotlight a different species from within Tower Grove Park’s arboretum.
This month, we're highlighting one of our favorite native species—the sassafras, a unique and aromatic tree that brings brilliant color and character to the landscape.
Also known by names like cinnamon wood and mitten tree, sassafras is a member of the laurel family (Lauraceae) and is native to Missouri and much of the eastern United States. It’s especially easy to spot in the fall when its leaves turn vibrant shades of yellow, orange, red, and reddish purple.
Botanically, Sassafras albidum is a deciduous flowering tree known for its distinctive foliage. The leaves can appear in a variety of shapes on the same tree—ovate, mitten-shaped, or three-lobed—and are bright green above with a silvery-white underside. The species name albidum refers to this whitish coloring. In early to mid-spring, the tree blooms with clusters of small, yellow-green flowers.
Sassafras often spreads clonally, forming thickets, but individual trees can grow up to 60 feet tall with a canopy spread of up to 40 feet. It’s a valuable species for wildlife and pollinators, providing food and shelter to birds, deer, bears, small mammals, and many insect species. Even dead sassafras trees (known as snags) are important habitat for native bees.
Historically, sassafras has also played a role in human culture. Native American communities used various parts of the tree for medicinal purposes. Sassafras oil was once a common ingredient in soaps, fragrances, and even root beer. Its dried, ground leaves are the source of filè powder, a traditional thickener in gumbo. However, due to the presence of safrole, a naturally occurring compound found to be carcinogenic, the use of sassafras oil in food and medicine is now regulated by the FDA.
You can find sassafras trees throughout the Park’s arboretum. We encourage you to take a walk and enjoy their striking fall colors as they change this season.
