Plants of South Eastern New South Wales

Doryphora sassafras

Flowers and leaves. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Royal National Park, Sydney

Flowers and leaves. Photographer Don Wood, Kings Highway, Budawang National Park

Leaves and seed cases. Photographer Don Wood, Budawang National Park

Tree. Australian Plant Image Index, photographer Murray Fagg, Australian National Botanic Gardens, Canberra, ACT

Common name

Sassafras

Family

Atherospermataceae

Where found

Rainforest and wet forest. Coast, ranges, and the eastern edge of the tablelands.

Notes

Tree to 35 m tall. Bark grey or brownish grey, longitudinally fissured and becoming scaly. Young stems brownish silky. Leaves smell like nutmeg when rubbed. Leaves opposite each other, 3–11 cm long, 15–40 mm wide, firm to leathery or stiff, glossy, hairless, margins shallowly to deeply toothed. Flowers with 4-6 white 'petals' each usually 7-13 mm long. Flowers usually in 3's. Flowering: winter to spring.

Was Family Monimiaceae.

PlantNET description:  http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Doryphora~sassafras  (accessed 12 January, 2021)