Appearance
Spicebush is a deciduous shrub growing to 6–12 feet tall. It has a colonial nature and often reproduces by root sprouting, forming clumps or thickets. The leaves are alternately arranged on the stem, simple, 6–15 cm long and 2–6 cm broad, oval or broadest beyond the middle of the leaf. They have a smooth edge with no teeth and are dark green above and paler below. The leaves, along with the stems are very aromatic when crushed with a spicy, citrusy smell, hence the common names and the specific epithet "benzoin." In the fall the leaves turn a very bright and showy yellow color.The yellow flowers grow in showy clusters which appear in early spring, before the leaves begin to grow. The flowers have 6 sepals and a very sweet odor. The ripe fruit is a red, elipsoidal, berrylike drupe, rich in lipids, about 1 cm long and is eaten by several bird species. It has a "turpentine-like" taste and aromatic scent, and contains a large seed. Spicebush is dioecious, so that both sexes are needed in a garden if one wants drupes with viable seeds.
Like other dioecious plants, the female plants have a greater cost of reproduction compared to the male plants. In the wild, the population tends to have more males than females possibly due to the heavier reproductive costs on females.
The stem of "L. benzoin" has a slightly rough, but flat, bark which is covered in small, circular lenticels which give it a rough texture.
Naming
Other species in the genus "Lindera" also have common names containing the word "spicebush" and may appear similar. An example is "Lindera melissaefolia" which grows in swamps in southern US; it is differentiated by its hairy stems. "Calycanthus" is in a different family within the Laurales and also has aromatic leaves.
Habitat
Many animals feed on the leaves, twigs, and berries of spicebush. Some mammals include whitetail deer, Eastern cottontail rabbit, opossums. Over 20 species of birds including both gamebirds and song birds such as ring-necked pheasant, bobwhite, ruffed grouse and others have been known to feed on spicebush. The berries are a favorite food of wood thrushs.
Uses
Due to its habit of growing in rich woods, early land surveyors used spicebush as an indicator of good agricultural land. The leaves, buds, and new growth twigs can be made into a tea.Native Americans, including the Cherokee, Creek, and Iroquois used the plant for treatments in multiple ailments.
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