Choose the Spicebush if You Like Yellow Flowers and Red Fruit

Overview:

The spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is a deciduous shrub that bears clusters of yellow flowers and red fruit. It is best suited for gardens in USDA Zones 4-9. It can reach an ultimate height of 12' with a similar width.

Latin Name:

The botanical name for this species is Lindera benzoin and it is in the Lauraceae (laurel) family. This family also includes the avocado (Persea americana), bay laurel (Laurus nobilis) and cinnamon (Cinnamomum spp.)

The Lindera genus received that name in honor of Johan Linder, a Swedish botanist.

Common Names:

Names associated with this species are spicebush, Benjamin bush, feverbush, American spicebush, spice bush, common spicebush, spiceberry, wild allspice, snapbush, Benjamin spice bush and northern spicebush. Spicebush is used because the plant gives off a fragrance if its parts are crushed. That name is also used for some of the other species in this genus, so check the tags at the nursery or garden center to make sure you get this species.

This is not related to the Korean spicebush (Viburnum carlesii), which is a viburnum shrub that is in the Adoxaceae family. It is also not the same as members of the Calycanthus genus like the western spicebush (Calycanthus occidentalis) or the Carolina spicebush (Calycanthus floridus). These are in the Calycanthaceae family.

Preferred USDA Hardiness Zones:

Zones 4-9 are preferred for this shrub. It is originally from eastern North America.

Size & Shape:

At maturity this will be 6-12' tall and wide, forming into a rounded shape.

Exposure:

Find a planting site in your garden that offers full sun to partial shade.

Foliage/Flowers/Fruit:

The light green egg-shaped leaves are 3-5" long. They give off a pleasant odor if they are crushed.

The little greenish-yellow flowers appear at the start of spring before the leaves unfurl. They look like they have petals, but those are actually sepals. You can tell the male and female shrubs apart because of their flowers; the male plants have larger blossoms. Of course, it will also be readily apparent later in the year when the females bear their fruit.

The fruit is a 1/2" long red drupe. It can be used in recipes that call for allspice (Pimenta dioica) and is sometimes called wild allspice because of that.

Design Tips:

The spicebush offers color during the fall and winter seasons. In autumn, the leaves change to a yellow hue that adds an appealing backdrop for the red fruit. As winter approaches, the leaves fall and the fruit stand out on the plant.

Use this shrub to attract butterflies to your garden. Lindera species often serve as larval host plants for the spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus) and the promethea silkmoth (Callosamia promethea). Brown elfin (Callophrys augustinus) and spring azure (Celastrina ladon) butterflies like to feed on the nectar.

Birds and other wildlife will also come to your garden to feast on the fruit in fall and winter. It is deer resistant.

Growing Tips:

Spicebush likes acidic soils that are moist or even wet.

This is a dioecious shrub. If you are expecting to collect fruit for their seeds, you will need both male and female plants.

Propagation is through seeds or cuttings. The seeds will need to go through a period of cold temperature (stratification) before planting.

Maintenance/Pruning:

If you find that your shrub has become overgrown, use the pruning rule of 1/3 for shrubs over the course of several years to gradually reduce the size without destroying the shape.

Pests and Diseases:

You are not likely to face any problems if you plant a spicebush. There may be some defoliation from the swallowtail and silkmoth caterpillars, but it is usually not enough to affect the growth of the shrub.

Recipes Including Spicebush Fruit: