Northern Spicebush, A Great Shrub for Birds (and More)

Northern Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), is a versatile shrub for a variety of habitats and an important source of food and habitat for birds and lepidopterans.

By Lee Ann Simon reporting for Native Plant News

Sometimes, plants that are not showy and easily overlooked have a large impact on our local ecosystems. Northern Spicebush has many benefits, among which is its use by some species of birds as nesting sites and as a source of high-quality food. In North Carolina, it is one of the best shrubs for creating bird habitat.

During the fall, migrating birds depend on fruits as a major source of energy. Nutritional analysis of the fruits of both native and exotic plant species show that spicebush has the healthiest and most nutrient-dense fruit of almost all the plants tested. Lindera benzoin or Northern Spicebush is a common understory shrub in the eastern United states. Found from Maine to Texas as well as in the province of Ontario, Canada, it is a very important plant for migrating songbirds and three species of butterflies; it is a particular favorite of Wood Thrushes.

Northern Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) flower. Photo by Lisa Lofland Gould

Northern Spicebush is a versatile shrub that grows in a variety of habitats from the mountains to the coastal plain. The simple, oblong to obovate or elliptic, alternate leaves emit a fresh, spicy odor when they are crushed. Northern Spicebush ranges in size from six to fifteen feet in height and grows up to twelve feet wide. It is dioecious. The small (about 7 mm), actinomorphic, yellow flowers bloom in March or April and the red fruit (drupes 6-10 mm) appear in the fall. When Northern Spicebush is planted in sunny areas, the fall leaves turn a pleasant yellow. Because it tolerates a range of light conditions including shade,  part shade areas, and almost full sun when it has enough moisture, it is relatively easy to grow. Furthermore, it tolerates a range of soil types including acidic and basic soils, although it grows best in moist, acidic soils. If it is well established, it can tolerate periodic drought, but it might lose its leaves. Ironically, several sources I consulted state that spicebush is deer resistant. I don’t know where those people live, but the deer in my neighborhood beg to differ. I have had to put deer netting around my spicebushes after waking up to find them stripped of leaves and the branch tips devoured.

Lindera is a member of the Lauraceae, a family that includes several economically important plants such as cinnamon, camphor, bay laurels (which yield culinary bay leaves), and avocado. Genera include Laurus, Lindera, Sassafras, Persea, Litsea, Tamala, Cinamomum, Cassytha and Camphora. There are roughly fifty genera and about 3000 species usually included in the family; however, the taxonomy of the family is still incomplete. I consulted several sources, and they give a range of numbers for both the number of genera and the number of species in the family. In fact, the generic name of Red Bay (Persea borbonia) changed between the publication of Weakley’s Flora of Virginia and the Flora of the Southeastern United States; Persea borbonia is now Tamala borbonia.

Many plants in the Lauraceae contain essential oils and are a source for medicines, perfumes, and industrial oils. The Chinese use the roots of Lindera aggregata in traditional medicine. Spicebush got its common name because early European settlers used it as a substitute for allspice. During the early history of the US, spices were very expensive and not always available in rural areas.

Northern Spicebush berries and leaves. Photo by Lisa Lofland Gould

The leaves and twigs have been used to make teas for centuries and used as medicine by both Indigenous peoples and Europeans. It was included in Lloyd and Lloyd’s Drugs and Medicines of North America 2nd edition, which was the first book that compiled herbal uses and remedies in the U.S. When I worked for the Tremont Environmental Education Center in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Elsie Burrell, a local historian, a GSMNP park interpreter, and an expert on mountain folkways, told me that crushed spicebush leaves were used as a deodorant or perfume by the local women. They called it “booby bush” because they often placed the crushed leaves between their breasts. Many of you are aware that a common name of Calycanthus floridus is also “Bubby-bush.” Most plants that are common and have a wide geographic distribution have several common names, as does Lindera benzoin. Furthermore, many common names are used for plants that are rather distantly related. The common name sage is a good example, with different plant species all over the U.S. having the common name sage; some of them are in different families.

Lindera benzoin with its fall berries. Both sexes of the plant must be in the same vicinity for Northern Spicebush to produce fruit. Photo by Lisa Lofland Gould

Spicebush is dioecious, which can present a problem for buyers. If buyers want the shrubs to produce fruit, most of them will need to purchase several plants to ensure that they have one of each sex unless they live in an area with a population of spicebush nearby. I called several native plant nurseries that carry it, and none label the sex of their plants. According to an employee of Carolina Native Nursery, the plants sell out before their sex can be determined because it takes several years for flowers to appear. Also, when purchasing these shrubs, it is important to keep in mind that there is a Chinese species, Lindera angustifolia or Willowleaf Spicebush, that has escaped cultivation farther north and may be sold by some nurseries. 

Spicebush is an important plant for numerous wildlife species. It is a particularly important source of food for migrating songbirds and three species of lepidopterans.

Spicebush Swallowtail, Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, and Promethea Silkmoth all feed on spicebush leaves in their larval (caterpillar) stages.

Final instar of Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar. Photo by Will Stuart.

In fact, the Spicebush Swallowtail has evolved several types of mimicry to avoid becoming bird food. In its early larval stages, the Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillars mimic bird droppings. When they reach the fourth instar (the stage after molting), they have large eyespots that mimic a larger animal like a snake to ward off birds. Because spicebush is a host plant for the lepidopterans, it provides food for bird offspring during nesting season.

The berries appear during the fall migrating season when bird energy requirements are at their highest. According to Smith et al (2015) Recommended plantings for migratory songbird habitat management, songbirds must eat four times their weight in food while they are migrating. They have shown that certain native species, such as spicebush, have higher nutritional value and energy density for birds than many exotic ornamental plants. Spicebush drupes have almost the highest content of both protein and fat of all the fruits that have been tested so far. Also, the nutrients found in it are essential for the growth of feathers. According to Doug Tallamy, most birds feed their offspring caterpillars and other insects.

Northern Spicebush is one of the best shrubs in North Carolina for creating bird habitat because it is easy to grow, it is a good source of food during both nesting season and migration season, and it provides nesting sites.


Lee Ann Simon studied botany at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She has worked as a biological technician at Uplands Laboratory in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the North Carolina Botanical Garden, and the city of Los Angeles, California. She currently resides in North Carolina.

Native Plant News – Fall 2024