Sassafras Trees (Atherosperma moschatum) grow in southern Australian and on Tasmanian evergreen Rain forests. The tree is also known there as Southern, Tasmanian and Blackheart Sassafras, the latter name derives from the discoloration of the heart wood caused by fungus.
Sassafras wood is hard, medium dense and heavy (ca. 600 kg/m3) and is easily to be worked with. The colour ranges from creamy white, pale grey and after being infected by
a staining fungus the heart wood can turn to streaked dark reddish brown to deep black colour. The wood is much appreciated for furniture as solid, veneer, for panelling, joinery, cabinet-making, turnery and art handicraft, while the black heartwood is highly prized due to its range of dramatic colours.
