Add some spice to your garden with Lindera benzoin, also known as Wild Allspice, Spicebush, Common Spicebush, Northern Spicebush, or Benjamin Bush. This flowering plant, native to eastern North America, is a deciduous shrub that grows 6-12 feet tall and has a broad, rounded habit. It thrives in moist locations in bottomlands, woods, ravines, valleys, and along streams and adds interest year-round. In early spring, before the leaves begin to grow, it produces showy clusters of yellow flowers with a sweet odor. The leaves and stems are highly aromatic, with a spicy, citrusy smell, and are commonly used as a spice substitute. The plant's dried and powdered fruit is also used as a substitute for the spice 'allspice'. The ripe fruit is a red, olive-sized berry-like drupe that is eaten by several bird species. Spicebush is also a favorite food plant of two lepidopterous insects: the spicebush swallowtail and the promethea silk moth. Spicebush is tolerant of shade and full sun, but it is best grown from seed as its roots do not handle transplanting well. Spice up your garden with Lindera benzoin now!
