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Lindera benzoin (Spicebush)

Lindera benzoin Photo/Illustration: Susan A. Roth



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Hardiness Zones: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
Botanical Name: Lindera benzoin lin-DARE-ah BEN-zo-in Common Name: Spicebush Genus: Lindera
This dioecious shrub has much to offer the garden. Male plants have showier, tiny, pale yellow flowers in early spring, but the female counterparts take center stage in early fall, when they're laden with half-inch-diameter berries that turn from green to yellow to high-gloss crimson. About the same time, the leaves turn a hypnotic soft yellow and make the red berries visually pop. Spicebush becomes a large, 5- to 8-foot-tall shrub that is slightly wider than tall. It is the preferred food for the black and blue spicebush swallowtail butterfly larvae.
 Noteworthy characteristics: Aromatic foliage, showy fruit, good autumn color. Host plant for swallowtail butterfly caterpillars.
 Care: Grow in partial sun to light shade and wet to moderately dry soil. Plant a male and a female plant for berries.
 Problems: Infrequent.
Height 6 ft. to 10 ft.
Spread 6 ft. to 10 ft.
Growth Habit Clumps
Light Full Sun to Part Shade
Moisture Medium Moisture
Maintenance Low
Characteristics Attracts Birds; Attracts Butterflies; Fragrant Flowers; Fragrant Foliage; Native; Showy Fall Foliage; Showy Flowers
Bloom Time Early Spring
Flower Color Yellow Flower
Uses Beds and Borders, Naturalizing, Waterside
Style Shade, Woodland Garden
Seasonal Interest Spring Interest, Fall Interest
Type Shrubs

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