NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Lindera benzoin

Northern Spicebush

Scientific Name:	Lindera benzoin
Genus:	Lindera
Species Epithet:	benzoin
Common Name:	Northern Spicebush
Plant Type	Shrub
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Lauraceae (Laurel Family)
Native/Alien:	NC Native
Invasive Status:	^(*Key)
Size:	6-12 ft., 12-36 ft.
Bloom Color(s):	Yellow
Light:	Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Moist, Wet
Bloom Time:	March, April
Growing Area:	Mountains, Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain
Habitat Description:	Rich alluvial forests, mesic forests on slopes with circumneutral soils, bottomlands, swamps. Common to very common in the mountains, Piedmont, and brownwater river floodplains in the Coastal Plain, such as the Roanoke River floodplain. Uncommon and somewhat local over most of the rest of the Coastal Plain, including the Sandhills. Can often be the dominant shrub species in some rich floodplains and very rich/mafic slopes.
Leaf Arrangement:	Alternate
Leaf Retention:	Deciduous
Leaf Type:	Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like
Leaf Form:	Simple
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Highest Wildlife Value
Landscape Value:	Highly Recommended and Available
State Rank:	S5: Secure ^(*Key)
Global Rank:	G5 - Secure ^(*Key)
Notes:	Flowers bloom before leaves emerge. Plants are dioecious so you need both male and female plants for fruit set.
Attractive red fruit (drupes) of Lindera benzoin in August. Orange County, NC Bettina Darveaux
Close-up of swollen flower buds in early March. Orange County, NC Bettina Darveaux
Close-up of male flowers opening in early March. Spicebush is a dioecious species- individuals produce either all male or all female flowers. Orange County, NC Bettina Darveaux
The flowers bloom in the Spring before the leaves emerge. Orange County, NC, cultivated Bettina Darveaux
Uneaten dried drupes. Confluence Natural Area, Orange Co., NC Bettina Darveaux
Links:	USDA PLANTS Database Record