What is Black Heart sassafras?
What is Black Heart sassafras?
Tasmanian blackheart sassafras (Atherosperma moschatum) is an evergreen tree native to cool, temperate southern Australian rainforests. First described by French naturalist Jacques Labillardière in 1806, it was named for the unusual dark streaks that often run through the golden-grey wood.
Is Tasmanian sassafras poisonous?
A powerful poison, it is useful in treating rheumatism, syphilis and bronchitis[4, 152, 154].
Where does Blackheart sassafras grow?
Atherosperma moschatum, the southern sassafras or blackheart sassafras, is an evergreen tree native to the cool temperate rainforests of Tasmania, Victoria, and New South Wales in Australia.
Is Blackheart sassafras a hardwood?
Tasmanian Blackheart Sassafras is a strikingly dramatic Australian timber with a cream-colored sapwood and wild reddish brown heartwood….Characteristics of Blackheart Sassafras.
| Origin of Wood Type | Tasmania |
|---|---|
| Wood Uses | Fine Furniture, Cabinetry, Architectural Millwork, Wood Turning |
| Lumber Grades | Flitch |
Are sassafras trees valuable?
Sassafras is more of a custom, niche-market species as it is not considered as a “traditional”, valuable hardwood species.
What is Tasmanian sassafras commonly used for?
Renowned in furniture use as a solid, a veneer or a laminated board, Sassafras is used for panelling, mouldings, joinery, veneers, cabinet-making and turnery. Sassafras grows as an understorey species in lower altitude wet forests throughout Tasmania.
Is sassafras good for woodworking?
Sassafras lumber is reported to be resistant to wood decay, but standing trees often contain pockets of rot. Sassafras is an attractive, light weight, easily worked, durable wood. Where it is available locally, it is often used for small woodworking projects. It is used in the millwork industry and for paneling.
Can I burn sassafras in my wood stove?
Sassafras Firewood – Overall As long as the wood is seasoned, it’s acceptable to use in the wood stove or simply throw it in your outdoor wood furnace.
Why is sassafras banned?
Well, sassafras and sarsaparilla both contain safrole, a compound recently banned by the FDA due to its carcinogenic effects. Safrole was found to contribute to liver cancer in rats when given in high doses, and thus it and sassafras or sarsaparilla-containing products were banned.
Where is the sassafras tree located?
Sassafras trees grow throughout most of the eastern United States and west of the Mississippi River into Louisiana, Missouri, Arkansas, and eastern Texas and Oklahoma. They often spring up in abandoned fields as a pioneer species. They grow at forest edges, in hedgerows, in open fields and along roadsides.
Can you burn sassafras trees?
Sassafras Firewood – Overall As long as the wood is seasoned, it’s acceptable to use in the wood stove or simply throw it in your outdoor wood furnace. If you plan on using it in an open fireplace you’ll notice the wood creates a real “pretty” fire with colorful flames and a pleasant aroma.
Is sassafras wood expensive?
Pricing/Availability: Sassafras trees are generally too small to be commercially viable on a large scale, but limited quantities of lumber and turning blanks are available for a modest price.
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