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Plant profile · Austin & Hill Country

Sassafras

Sassafras albidum
native · Central Texas

Sassafras is a tree native to Central Texas that grows 15–20 ft tall and 15 ft wide. It wants full sun or part shade and low water. Blooms yellow in late spring. Good for birds and butterflies.

Will it grow in your yard?

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The facts

6 sources
Type
Tree
Sun
Full sun to part shade (3–6 hrs of direct sun)
Water
Low
Height
15–20 ft
Spread
15 ft
Bloom
Late Spring · yellow
Foliage
Deciduous or dies back in winter
Soil
Recorded on loam, moist, sand, well drained
Wildlife
Supports birds and butterflies

Where it grows

Recorded in this EPA Level IV ecoregion in the Austin and Hill Country launch area:

Floodplains and Low Terraces

1 occurrence record in Central Texas (GBIF).

Can you buy it?

Also grows here — hard to find. Native and recorded growing in Central Texas, but not on the grower stock lists we read. Sourcing varies: some are stocked widely, others you will have to hunt for.

also grows from seed It starts readily from seed, so a packet from a native-seed supplier, or seed collected with permission, is often the easiest way to get a plant no nursery pots.