Lindera benzoin
Spicebush
[ click on any image below to see larger version ]
Family:
Lauraceae
(Laurel family)
Mid-Atlantic bloom time:
March - April
Mid-Atlantic fruit ripe:
August - September
Spicebush is multiple-branched shrub that grows to 5 meters.
Its alternate leaves are simple, entire,
glabrous, and deciduous.
It is dioecious (i.e., plants have either "male" or "female" flowers, not both).
The crushed leaves of Spicebush smell somewhat like lemon or citronella.
Its fruits can purportedly be dried, ground, and used as an allspice substitute.
Spicebush is a favorite food plant of the Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilio troilus)
and the Promethea Silkmoth (Callosamia promethea).
29 March 2017
Bull Run Regional Park, Centreville, VA
(flowers emerge before leaves)
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3 April 2019
Riverbend Park, Great Falls, VA
(female flowers with swollen styles)
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3 April 2019
Riverbend Park, Great Falls, VA
(male flowers)
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5 May 2012
Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Park, Glen Echo, MD
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13 June 2014
Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA
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21 June 2014
Ivy Creek Natural Area, Charlottesville, VA
(female specimen with developing fruits)
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15 July 2023
Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA
(developing fruits)
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22 September 2018
Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA
(with ripe fruit)
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22 September 2018
Bull Run Mountains Natural Area Preserve, Haymarket, VA
(ripe fruits)
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