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Common Spicebush

Lindera benzoin

Description 5

Spicebush is a deciduousshrub growing to 6–12 feet (1.8–3.7 m) tall. It has a colonial nature and often reproduces by root sprouting, forming clumps or thickets. The leaves are alternately arranged on the stem, simple, 6–15 cm (2–6 in) long and 2–6 cm (1–2 in) broad, oval or broadest beyond the middle of the leaf. They have a smooth edge with no teeth and are dark green above and paler below. The leaves, along with the stems are very aromatic when crushed with a spicy, citrusy smell, hence the common names and the specific epithet benzoin. In the fall the leaves turn a very bright and showy yellow color.

The yellow flowers grow in showy clusters which appear in early spring, before the leaves begin to grow. The flowers have 6 sepals and a very sweet odor. The ripe fruit is a red, elipsoidal, berrylike drupe, rich in lipids, about 1 cm (1⁄2 in) long and is eaten by several bird species. It has a "turpentine-like" taste and aromatic scent, and contains a large seed. Spicebush is dioecious (plants are either male or female), so that both sexes are needed in a garden if one wants drupes with viable seeds.

Like other dioecious plants, the female plants have a greater cost of reproduction compared to the male plants. In the wild, the population tends to have more males than females possibly due to the heavier reproductive costs on females.

The stem of L. benzoin has a slightly rough, but flat, bark which is covered in small, circular lenticels which give it a rough texture.

Other species in the Lindera genus also have common names containing the word "spicebush" and may appear similar. An example is Lindera melissaefolia which grows in swamps in southern US; it is differentiated by its hairy stems. Calycanthus (sweetshrub, spicebush) is in a different family within the Laurales and also has aromatic leaves.

At the Garden 6

Lindera benzoin is found throughout the Thain Family Forest and is the namesake of the Spicebush Trail. Several individuals are used in the Thain Forest's phenology program. These individuals are tagged so citizen scientists can record the timing of life stages, such as flowering and fruiting, over the course of many years, providing valuable climate and species data.

Ecology 7

Many animals feed on the leaves, twigs, and berries of spicebush. Some mammals include whitetail deer, Eastern cottontail rabbit, opossums. Over 20 species of birds including both gamebirds and song birds such as ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite, ruffed grouse and others have been known to feed on spicebush. The berries are a favorite food of wood thrushs.

Spicebush is a favorite food plant of two lepidopterous insects: the spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus), and the promethea silkmoth, (Callosamia promethea).

The larvae of the spicebush swallowtail are easily found inside leaves that have been folded over by the application of silk; small larvae are brown, resembling bird droppings, and mature larvae are green. The anterior of a larva has two large eyespots and resembles the head of a snake. Since one or more broods (generations) of spicebush swallowtails typically occur each year, spicebush is a useful plant for the butterfly garden, since the egg-laying females are strongly attracted to it. Promethea moth cocoons, if present, are obvious during the cold season after leaf drop, and resemble dead leaves still hanging from twigs. Neither of these insects is ever present in sufficient quantities to defoliate a medium through large spicebush, although very small specimens may suffer even from a single caterpillar.

Lepidopteran host plant 7

Spicebush is a favorite food plant of two lepidopterous insects: the spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus), and the promethea silkmoth, (Callosamia promethea).

The larvae of the spicebush swallowtail are easily found inside leaves that have been folded over by the application of silk; small larvae are brown, resembling bird droppings, and mature larvae are green. The anterior of a larva has two large eyespots and resembles the head of a snake. Since one or more broods (generations) of spicebush swallowtails typically occur each year, spicebush is a useful plant for the butterfly garden, since the egg-laying females are strongly attracted to it. Promethea moth cocoons, if present, are obvious during the cold season after leaf drop, and resemble dead leaves still hanging from twigs. Neither of these insects is ever present in sufficient quantities to defoliate a medium through large spicebush, although very small specimens may suffer even from a single caterpillar.

Human Uses 7

Due to its habit of growing in rich woods, early land surveyors used spicebush as an indicator of good agricultural land. The leaves, buds, and new growth twigs can be made into a tea.

Native Americans, including the Cherokee, Creek, and Iroquois used the plant for treatments in multiple ailments.

Sources and Credits

  1. (c) Cody Hough, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), http://www.flickr.com/photos/12512068@N07/2868424984
  2. (c) Paul Lewis, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Paul Lewis
  3. (c) caseyzill, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by caseyzill
  4. (c) Johnny Wilson, all rights reserved, uploaded by Johnny Wilson
  5. (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindera_benzoin
  6. (c) bkmertz, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
  7. Adapted by bkmertz from a work by (c) Wikipedia, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lindera_benzoin

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