Overview
A non-fruiting form, this plant is notable for its very large, ornamental yellow blooms .
Interesting Facts
- The flowers of Lindera benzoin have an unusually sweet fragrance. [source]
- Among the Cherokee, Creek , Iroquois, and Rappahannock tribes , Lindera benzoin was used for various medicinal purposes (D. E. Moerman 1986). [source]
- This shrub blooms very early in the season and is the food plant for the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly caterpillar.
- Rub a leaf. Does it smell like oranges? The entire plant contains an aromatic oil similar to citrus. The twigs and bark can be used to make a fragrant tea.
- An Allspice substitute, the energy-rich berries also provide good summer food for migratory birds.
- This shrub blooms very early in the season and is the food plant for the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly caterpillar.
- Rub a leaf. Does it smell like oranges? The entire plant contains an aromatic oil similar to citrus. The twigs and bark can be used to make a fragrant tea.
- An Allspice substitute, the energy-rich berries also provide good summer food for migratory birds.
Common Names
Click on the language to view common names.
Common Names in English:
Benjamin, Benjamin-Bush, Northern Spicebush, Spicebush, Wild Allspice
Common Names in French:
Laurier Faux-Benjoin
Common Names in German:
Fieberstrauch
Description
Family Lauraceae
Shrubs
to tall trees
, evergreen
or rarely deciduous ( Cassytha a parasitic vine
with leaves reduced to scales
), usually aromatic
. Leaves alternate, rarely whorled
or opposite, simple
, without stipules, petiolate
. Leaf blade
: unlobed (unlobed or lobed
in Sassafras ), margins
entire, occasionally with domatia (crevices or hollows serving as lodging for mites
) in axils of main lateral
veins (in Cinnamomum ) . Inflorescences in axils of leaves or deciduous bracts, panicles (rarely heads
), racemes
, compound
cymes, or pseudoumbels (spikes in Cassytha ), sometimes enclosed by decussate bracts. Flowers bisexual
or unisexual
, bisexual only, or staminate
and pistillate
on different plants
, or staminate and bisexual on some plants, pistillate and bisexual on others; flowers usually yellow to greenish or white, rarely reddish; hypanthium well developed, resembling calyx tube
, tepals and stamens perigynous; tepals 6(-9), in 2(-3) whorls of 3, sepaloid
, equal or rarely unequal, if unequal then usually outer 3 smaller than inner 3 (occasionally absent in Litsea ) ; stamens (3-) 9(-12), in whorls of 3, but 1 or more whorls frequently staminodial or absent; stamens of 3d whorl with 2 glands
near base
; anthers
2- or 4-locular, locules opening by valves
; pistil 1, 1-carpellate; ovary 1-locular; placentation basal; ovule 1; stigma subsessile
, discoid
or capitate. Fruits drupes, drupe borne on pedicel with or without persistent
tepals at base, or seated in ± deeply cup-shaped receptacle (cupule), or enclosed in accrescent
floral tube
. Seed 1; endosperm absent.
Genera ca.
50, species 2000-3000 (9 genera, 13 species in the flora
) : pantropical
, a few species also in subtropical
and temperate
regions
Cassytha is sometimes placed in its own family
, Cassythaceae; it is here retained in Lauraceae.[1]
Genus Lindera
Shrubs
or small trees
, deciduous. Bark
grayish, becoming darker with age. Leaves alternate, aromatic
when crushed (at least when young). Leaf blade
pinnately veined, membranous to nearly leathery; surfaces glabrous
to densely pubescent
; domatia absent. Inflorescences appearing before leaves, axillary
, clusters
(pseudoumbels), clusters subsessile
, nearly umbellate
, each subtended by 2 pairs of decussate bracts. Flowers unisexual
, staminate
and pistillate
on different plants
, a few bisexual
flowers on some plants; tepals deciduous, yellow, pellucid-dotted
, equal, glabrous. Staminate flowers
: stamens 9; anthers
2-locular, 2-valved, introrse
. Pistillate flowers: staminodes variously developed; ovary globose
. Drupe bright red, ellipsoid
to nearly globose, borne on pedicel, with or without persistent
tepals at base
. x
= 12.
Species ca.
100: North America, e Asia.[2]
Physical Description
Species Lindera benzoin
Shrubs or small trees , to 5 m. Young twigs glabrous or sparsely pubescent . Leaves horizontal to ascending , strongly aromatic (spicy) throughout growing season ; petiole ca. 10 mm, glabrous or pubescent. Leaf blade obovate , smaller blades generally elliptic , (4-) 6-15 × 2-6 cm, membranous, base cuneate, margins ciliate , apex rounded to acuminate on larger leaves; surfaces abaxially glabrous to densely pubescent, adaxially glabrous except for a few hairs along midrib . Drupe oblong , ca. 10 mm; fruiting pedicels of previous season not persistent on stem, slender, 3-5 mm, apex not conspicuously enlarged. 2 n = 24. [source]
ID Features: Small superposed buds. Stalked flower buds. No terminal buds. Alternate leaf arrangement. Small, yellow flowers in early spring. Scarlet, oval drupes.
Habit: A rounded , deciduous shrub with a loose , open form.
Flowers: Very large, ornamental yellow blooms . Blooms early spring . Somewhat showy. • Bloom Period: March. • Flower Color: yellow
Seeds: Fruit: None.
Foliage: Summer foliage: Alternate leaf arrangement . Simple , deciduous leaves. Obovate leaf shape . 3.5" to 5" long. Up to 2" wide. Entire leaf margins . Light green leaf color. • Fall foliage: Yellow to golden yellow fall color. Showy.
Size/Age/Growth
Growth Rate: Slow. • Size: 8' to 12' tall.
Landscaping
Landscape Uses: Border . Naturalizing. For flower effect. Fall color. • Liabilities: No serious problems.
Habitat
Stream
banks, low woods
, margins
of wetlands; uplands
, especially with exposed limestone; 0-1200 m.
[source]
Hardy
to zone 4.
Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 1,092 meters (0 to 3,583 feet).[3]
Biology
Growth
Culture: Transplanted from containers . Full sun to partial shade. Prefers moist, well-drained soil.
Soil: Minimum pH: 4.5 • Maximum pH: 7.8
Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Partial to Full Shade.
Temperature: Cold Hardiness: 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b. (map)
Taxonomy
- Domain:
Eukaryota
(
)
- Whittaker & Margulis,1978
- eukaryotes
- Kingdom:
Plantae
()
- Haeckel, 1866
- Plants
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
()
- Cavalier-Smith, 1981
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Sinnott, 1935 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998
- Vascular Plants
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
()
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
()
- Kenrick & Crane, 1997
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
()
- Brongniart, 1843
- Dicotyledons
- Subclass:
Magnoliidae
()
- Novák Ex Takhtajan, 1967
- Superorder:
Lauranae
()
- (Perleb, 1826) Takhtajan, 1997
- Order:
Laurales
()
- Perleb, 1826
- Suborder:
Laurineae
()
-
- Family:
Lauraceae
()
- Durande, 1782, Nom. Cons.
- Laurel Family
- Subfamily:
Lauroideae
()
- Tribe:
Antirrhineae
()
- Genus:
Lindera
()
- Thunberg, Nov. Gen. Pl. 3: 64. 1783, name conserved - Spicebush [for John.
- Spicebush [for John 1723, Swedish botanist]
- Specific epithet:
benzoin
- Meisn.
- Botanical name: - Lindera benzoin
- Specific epithet:
benzoin
- Meisn.
- Genus:
Lindera
(
- Tribe:
Antirrhineae
(
- Subfamily:
Lauroideae
(
- Family:
Lauraceae
(
- Suborder:
Laurineae
(
- Order:
Laurales
(
- Superorder:
Lauranae
(
- Subclass:
Magnoliidae
(
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
(
- Infraphylum:
Radiatopses
(
- Subphylum:
Euphyllophytina
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
- Subkingdom:
Viridaeplantae
(
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
Unambiguous Synonyms
- Calosmon benzoin (L.) Presl
- Laurus benzoin L.
Notes
Name
Status: Accepted Name
. Latest taxonomic
scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000.
Name verified on 08-May-1992 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 23-Aug-1994
Similar Species
Members of the genus Lindera
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 210 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus. Here are just 100 of them:
L. acuminata · L. aestivalis · L. aestivalis f. xanthocarpa · L. aggregata · L. aggregata f. playfairii · L. aggregata var. hemsleyana · L. aggregata var. playfairii · L. akoensis · L. alongensis · L. angustifolia (Narrow-Leaved Spicebush) · L. annamensis · L. apoensis · L. aromatica · L. assamica · L. balansae · L. baliopa · L. benzoin (Northern Spicebush) · L. benzoin f. rubra · L. benzoin f. xanthocarpa · L. benzoin 'Rubra' · L. benzoin var. aestivalis · L. benzoin var. benzoin (Northern Spicebush) · L. benzoin var. pubescens (Northern Spicebush) · L. benzoin var. verna · L. benzoin 'Xanthocarpa' · L. bibracteata · L. bifaria · L. bodinieri · L. bootanica · L. caesia · L. camphorata · L. caudata · L. caudifolia · L. cavaleriei · L. cercidifolia · L. chengii · L. chienii · L. chunii · L. cinnamomea · L. citrata · L. citriodora · L. communis · L. communis var. esquirolii · L. communis var. okinawensis · L. concinna · L. concinna var. reticulata · L. cuspidata · L. delicata · L. densiflora · L. dictyophylla · L. dielsii · L. doniana · L. duclouxii · L. eberhardtii · L. erythrocarpa (Spice Bush) · L. erythrocarpa var. longipes · L. esquirolii · L. flavinervia · L. floribunda · L. formosana · L. foveolata · L. fragrans · L. fragrans var. linearifolia · L. fruticosa · L. fruticosa var. pomiensis · L. funiushanensis · L. gambleana · L. gemmiflora · L. glabrata · L. glauca · L. glauca f. glabella · L. glauca var. parvifolia · L. gracilipes · L. gracilipes var. macrocarpa · L. gracilis · L. grandifolia · L. grandis · L. griffithii · L. guangxiensis · L. hamiltonii · L. hemsleyana · L. henanensis · L. heterophylla · L. hookeri · L. hypoglauca · L. hypoleuca · L. insignis · L. kariensis · L. kariensis f. glabrescens · L. kinabaluensis · L. kwangtungensis · L. lancea · L. lanceolata · L. lancifolia · L. latifolia · L. laureola · L. limprichtii · L. longipedunculata · L. loureiri · L. lucida
More Info
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Further Reading
- A handbook of systematic botany / by Dr. E. Warming with a revision of the fungi by Dr. E. Knoblauch, tr. and ed. by M. C. Potter. New York: Macmillan and amp; Co., 1895. ENG url p. 393.
- American men of science; a biographical directory, ed. by J. McKeen Cattell and Dean R. Brimhall. Garrison, N.Y., The Science Press, 1921. ENG url p. 117.
- Annual report of the New Jersey state museum. 1901-12, 1914. Trenton, New Jersey. [etc.]1902-15. ENG url p. 726.
- Annual report of the Secretary of the State Board of Agriculture of the State of Michigan.. . Lansing: The Board, 1862- ENG url p. 237.
- Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). London: The Museum, 1951-1992. ENG url p. 229, p. 237.
- Bulletin of the scientific laboratories of Denison University. Granville, Ohio: [The University], 1885- ENG url p. 22.
- Clewell, A. F. 1985. Guide to the vascular plants of the Florida panhandle. (F FlaPan)
- Correll, D. S. and amp; M. C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas. (F Tex)
- Die Gartenwelt. Berlin: G. Schmidt, [1897- GER url p. 429.
- Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. (CRC MedHerbs ed2)
- Encke, F. et al. 1993. Zander: Handw and amp;ouml;rterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 14. Auflage. (Zander ed14)
- Entomological news, and proceedings of the Entomological Section of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Philadelphia[Entomological Rooms of the Academy of Natural Sciences] ENG url p. 14.
- Entomological news. [Philadelphia]American Entomological Society, 1925- ENG url p. 269.
- FNA Editorial Committee. 1993 and amp;ndash;. Flora of North America. (F NAmer)
- FWS/0BS. [Washington]Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Dept. of the Interior. ENG url p. 42, p. 68, p. 76, p. 95, p. 97.
- Facciola, S. 1990. Cornucopia, a source book of edible plants. (Cornucopia)
- Fieldbook of native Illinois shrubs, by Leo R. Tehon.. . Urbana, Natural History Survey Division, 1942. ENG url p. 83.
- Flora of Illinois, containing keys for identification of flowering plants and ferns. Notre Dame, Ind., University of Notre Dame Press, 1963. ENG url p. 160.
- Great Basin naturalist memoirs. [Provo, Utah]Brigham Young University, 1976-1992. ENG url p. 1295, p. 769, p. 796.
- Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening. (Dict Gard)
- Inland wetlands of the United States: evaluated as potential registered natural landmarks / Richard H. Goodwin, William A. Niering. [Washington]: National Park Service: may be purchased from the Supt. of Docs., Govt. Print. Off., 1975. ENG url p. 84.
- Jones, G. N. and amp; G. D. Fuller. 1955. Vascular plants of Illinois. (F IllJones)
- Just's botanischer jahresbericht. Systematisch geordnetes repertorium der botanischen literatur aller länder. Berlin, Gebr. Borntraeger, 1874-98; GER url p. 314, p. 501, p. 871.
- Kr and amp;uuml;ssmann, G. (1977a): Handbuch der Laubgeh and amp;ouml;lze, vol. II, Berlin, Hamburg: Parey
- Kr and amp;uuml;ssmann, G. 1984. Handbuch de Laubgeholze, Engl. translat. (Krussmann)
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- New Jersey insects / [John Bernhard Smith] [Trenton, N.J.?: s.n., 1909] ENG url p. 726.
- Proceedings of the Indiana Academy of Science. Indianapolis, Ind.[s.n.] ENG url p. 212.
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- Reports of the Director.. . / Experimental Farms. Ottawa: Experimental Farms, 1888-1916. ENG url p. 89.
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- Seymour, F. 1969. The flora of New England. (F NEng)
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Notes
Contributors
- Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2007. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed March 24, 2007.
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed November 19, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 9 providers.
- Light, Kris. East Tennessee Wildflowers
- "Lindera benzoin". in Flora of North America Vol. 3. Published by Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org.
- The International Plant Names Index. Accessed Jan 19, 2007.
- United States National Arboretum, Washington D.C.
- USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (April 24, 2008)
Data Sources
Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 19, 2007:
- Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
- USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database
- University of Alabama Biodiversity and Systematics, Herbarium
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2645107
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-18147
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13815843
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:465330-1
- GRIN Nomen Number: 22292
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 18147
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 465330-1
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDLAU07010
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: BEAEP
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 72
Footnotes
- Henk van der Werff "Lauraceae". in Flora of North America Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- B. Eugene Wofford "Lindera". in Flora of North America Vol. 3. Oxford University Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
- Mean = 235.250 meters (771.818 feet), Standard Deviation = 177.960 based on 1,068 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
