The "experiments" that give the forest its name are done in certain parts of the forest, where periodic controlled burns are done so that the recovery of the ecosystem can be observed and studied. The rich organic soil that is found in much of the forest supports a large variety of trees, mosses, and plants. Two plants in particular that our group took notice of were wild ginger and sassafras. Wild ginger is a stringy, low-growing plant that prefers shady environments and thus thrived in the portions of the forest where there were many large trees (mainly oak and pine) towering over everything else. The leaves, when broken, have a distinct licorice-like smell. A picture of a representative wild ginger is below.
The other plant that we found was actually a tree, sassafras. Although the specimens we examined were small, sassafras can actually grow to be a medium-sized tree. This tree has had multiple uses for many years, including being used for flavoring, fragrance, (even furniture) and its oil was used once used as a dental antiseptic and pain reliever. But what our group was most interested in was the plant's leaf structure. Up to three different leaf shapes can be commonly found on sassafras, and all three can even be found on the same specimen. The three common types are: an elliptical leaf, and two- and three-lobed leaves. Leaves with more than three lobes occur, but are rare. Pictures of the common leaf shapes can be seen below.
And here, all three leaf types can be seen growing on the same specimen:
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