Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Embedded Files
Spicebush grows from southwest Maine, central Michigan, and southeast Kansas to Florida and southeast Texas. There are disjunct populations in central Texas. Spicebush prefers partial sun and is tolerant of soil moisture.
Fruit: A 6-10 mm long, bright red drupe with a peppery taste and smell. They are borne at the nodes of the last year's twigs and often stay on the bush after the leaves have fallen. They appear in late summer to early fall.
Flowers: A yellow flower that appears in axillary clusters. They bloom in early spring before the leaves emerge.
Uses: Essential oils from the leaves, twigs, and fruit can be used in teas. The fruit can be dried and used in sachets.
Ethnobotany: Native Americans were known to use the dried fruit as a spice and the leaves in tea.
Importance to wildlife: Spicebush is a larval host to Palamedes Swallowtail and Spicebush Swallowtail.
The full spicebush. Spicebush is an upright shrub that can grow 8 to 15 feet.
A single leaf on a spicebush. Leaves are 4-14 cm long, entire, short or long pointed at apex, wedge shaped at base, and glabrous or thinly hairy. When crushed, they release a strong spicy-lemony odor.
Leaf arrangement on a spicebush. Leaves are simple and alternate.
A leaf bud on a spicebush. Leaf buds are small, with about 3 visible scales, and are often superposed. Terminal buds are absent.
A flower bud on a spicebush. Flower buds are nearly globose and typically in pairs at a node, one on each side of a leaf bud.
The fruit of a spicebush. Fruit is a bright red ellipsoid drupe.
Page updated
Report abuse