They are difficult to transplant. They do make seeds in summer but those are long-gone now. If you decide to move one, dig a deep hole next to it, you might get most of the taproot. Good luck.

I was so lucky last year. I saw a seedling tree growing right outside the kitchen in the hummingbird flower bed and it turned out to be a sassasfras tree! I was just delighted. I guess a kind bird dropped the seed for me.
We have them on the farm, but they are almost impossible to transplant. I wanted it for the fall color.

I think the George O. White Nursery of the Mo. Dept of Conservation sells them in the spring. Here is a link to check it out. The order form won't come online until November. They have very reasonable prices, but you can't just get one.

Here is a link that might be useful: Missouri Native Plants

They grow in abundance for me volunatarily. If you're not in a hurry, I can get you some next summer.

read yrs ago that sassafras tea was not good for you. believe it was in mother earth news or organic gardening.
william

I have them growing across the road from my house. The county cuts that side along the road every year and it makes the sassafras trees send up new trees on the roots. I chopped one off the root and planted it in my back yard and was lucky enough to get it to grow. It's really hard to dig them up or to get a small one with any roots at all.

Good luck with your hunt.

I also read the tea is not good for you. If anyone is dozing a fence row or like jacey said along a graded road you might get some roots. If you planted the tree and watched it grow, you might not want to cut its roots. They have good fall color. A Mormon teacher used to buy the extract or syrup and put dry ice and water to make root beer. I don't know his recipe but he used to make it for Halloween at our school. The kids helped make it and thought it was fun.

Sassafrass has a lot of uses besides making tea from the root bark.

>Sassafrass has a lot of uses besides making tea from the root bark.

Yes, one is to create gumbo file powder.