Photo: Jomegat, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Also called northern spicebush, wild allspice.
Yellow flowers in March, spicy-scented leaves, red berries for thrushes and the host plant of the spicebush swallowtail.
Wildlife valueShowy flowersFall colorTolerates shadeTolerates wet soil
- Type
- Shrub
- Mature height
- 6–12 ft
- USDA zones
- 4–9
- Growth rate
- Medium
- Sun
- Part · Shade · Full
- Soil moisture
- Average · Wet
210
Spicebush is the backbone of a shady native garden. It blooms before the forsythia, turns clear yellow in fall, and its high-fat berries fuel migrating birds. Female plants need a male nearby for fruit. Tolerates deep shade and wet soil; deer usually leave it alone.
Heights and zones are typical ranges for the species in cultivation; local conditions and seed source shift them. Estimate growth for this species →
More like this
