Leaf guide › Other hardwoods
Sassafras
Sassafras albidum
The mitten tree: three different leaf shapes on the same branch.
- Fall color
- OrangeRedYellowPurple
- Turns
- Mid-season
- Leaves
- Alternate (one per spot)
- Size
- 3–6 in. long
- Found in
- New England & New York, Appalachians, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest
Sassafras fall color
Color: Sassafras turns one of the widest ranges of colors of any tree: orange, red, yellow, and purple, often on the same branch.
When it turns: Around the middle of the local season, close to overall peak.
Typical peak where it’s common: from about October 24 at Mount Magazine, Arkansas, to about November 6 at Cape May, New Jersey, across the 16 destinations we track where it’s a main source of fall color.
Where you’ll see it this fall
Sassafras is one of the main trees in the fall color at these destinations. Dates are the typical peak.
Arkansas: Mount Magazine (Oct 24), Eureka Springs (Oct 28), Buffalo National River (Oct 30), Petit Jean State Park (Nov 1), Hot Springs (Nov 3)
Indiana: Indianapolis (Oct 27), Nashville (Oct 28)
Kentucky: Lexington (Oct 28), Red River Gorge (Oct 28), Louisville (Oct 30)
Missouri: Branson (Oct 31)
New Jersey: Cape May (Nov 6)
Ohio: Columbus (Oct 27), Hocking Hills (Oct 27), Cincinnati (Oct 29)
West Virginia: Fayetteville (Oct 24)
How to recognize it
- Leaves come in three shapes on one tree: oval, two-lobed mitten, and three-lobed.
- Smooth edges with no teeth.
- Crushed leaves and twigs smell spicy and citrusy.
- Fall color ranges from salmon orange to red and purple.
Where to find it
Look for it at field edges, along roadsides and fences, and in young woods, often in small thickets that sprout from a shared root system.
Easy to confuse with
Mulberry
Also grows mitten-shaped leaves, but mulberry edges are toothed and the stems bleed milky sap.
Worth knowing
Sassafras root was the original flavoring for root beer.
Common questions
What color does sassafras turn in fall?
Sassafras turns one of the widest ranges of colors of any tree: orange, red, yellow, and purple, often on the same branch.
When does sassafras change color?
Around the middle of the local season, close to overall peak.
How can you tell sassafras from mulberry?
Mulberry: Also grows mitten-shaped leaves, but mulberry edges are toothed and the stems bleed milky sap. Sassafras: Leaves come in three shapes on one tree: oval, two-lobed mitten, and three-lobed.
Where does sassafras grow?
In the lower 48, look for it in New England & New York, the Appalachians, the Mid-Atlantic, the Southeast, and the Midwest.
See where the color is peaking today.
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