northern spicebush
Lindera benzoin
This plant is the primary host for the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly; its caterpillars have large eyespots to mimic snakes and scare away predators.
- Scientific name
- Lindera benzoin
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Laurales › Lauraceae › Lindera
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Moist deciduous forests, bottomlands, stream banks, and shaded ravines.
- Diet
- Photosynthetic; thrives in nutrient-rich, moist, acidic to neutral soils.
- Range
- Eastern United States, Ontario, Canada
- Size
- 6 to 12 feet tall and wide
- Lifespan
- 20 - 50 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Habitat loss, excessive deer browsing, and competition from invasive species like Amur honeysuckle.
- Safe to approach?
- Completely harmless and highly aromatic. You can gently scratch a twig to experience its citrus-spice scent. While the berries are used as a spice, always ensure 100% positive identification before consuming any wild plant to avoid look-alikes.
Lindera benzoin (commonly called spicebush , common spicebush , northern spicebush , wild allspice , or Benjamin bush ) is a shrub in the laurel family, native to eastern North America, ranging from New York to Ontario in the north, and to Kansas, Texas, and northern Florida in the center and south. Within its native range it is a relatively common plant where it grows in the understory in moist, rich woods, especially those with exposed limestone.
Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg, CC-BY, via iNaturalist
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