| Description | Spice Bush (Lindera benzoin) is a native small tree or shrub found growing in shaded moist sites. Has yellow flowers early in the spring before the leaves appear. |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | (lin-DER-ah)(BEN-zoh-in) |
| Plant Type | Shrubs Deciduous, Site author's observations |
| Hardiness Zone | 4-9 |
| Sunlight | sunny to shaded |
| Moisture | average, moist |
| Soil & Site | average, moist |
| Flowers | tiny, apetalous, aromatic, greenish-yellow, early spring before leaves, dioecious, hysteranthous |
| Fruit | small red drupes |
| Leaves | simple, green, yellow in the fall, aromatic when crushed |
| Roots | coarse, fibrous root system |
| Dimensions | 6 to 12 feet by 6-12 feet, rounded growth form |
| Propagation | stratified seeds |
| Native Site | Maine to Ontario and Kansas south to Florida (USA) |
| Cultivar Origin | Lindera is named for the Swedish botanist, Johann Lindler. Introduced in 1863. |
| Misc Facts | AKA: Lindera benzoin; Spice Bush; Spicebush; Northern Spice Bush; Wild Allspice |
| Author's Notes | I have walked down a short set of steps at the Boerner Botanical Gardens many times. Then one day, this plant was flowering. I never noticed it before. Now I make sure to visit this area early in the spring. |
| Notes & Reference | #01-Manual of Woody Landscape Plants (Michael Dirr), #144-Missouri Botanical Gardens website (www.missouribotanicalgarden.org) |
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