Recently, I went for a walk with CogginHeeringa, instructor of Environmental Studies at Interlochen Arts Camp. We were looking for sassafras, which is native to Michigan.
One of the things that makes the tree unique, is it's distinct leaf shapes.
"We've got our spoon, we've got our fork, and then because we're in Michigan, of course we have to point out that we have a mitten," Coggin says.
Sassafras was also the original root, in root beer. Charles Hires invented the drink in 1875, by boiling several roots from the plant. The result was really more of a tea than beer, since it didn’t contain any alcohol. However, Hires soon found out that the beverage was a better seller when he called it root beer, rather than root tea.
Early pioneers to Michigan also had many different uses for sassafras. They often used the tea as a spring tonic, and even as a dye for their homespuns.
Sassafras also plays a pivotal role for native wildlife.
“The seeds are good for birds; wildlife eats the leaves,” says Coggin. “But the most important thing in my mind is, this is one of the few plants that swallowtail butterflies will breed on.”
She says since it’s a tree that is at the bottom of the food web, it is important to northern Michigan’s ecosystem.
