Spice Bush, Northern spicebush, Bush Northern Spice
Lindera benzoin
Family: Lauraceae
What it is like
Bloom Color: Green, Yellow. Main Bloom Time: Early spring, Late spring, Mid spring. Form: Oval, Rounded.
Lindera benzoin is a deciduous Shrub growing to 3 m (9ft) by 3 m (9ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 5. It is in flower in April, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The species is dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required). . The plant is not self-fertile. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It prefers moist soil.
Height (m): 3
Where it is found
Wet woods and by streams on sandy or peaty soils. Stream banks, low woods, margins of wetlands; uplands, especially with exposed limestone, from sea level to 1200 metres.
Eastern N. America - Maine and Ontario to Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas.
Conservation Status:
Countries/locations it is found in
How it is used
Food
Rating: 3
The young leaves, twigs and fruit contain an aromatic essential oil and make a very fragrant tea. The twigs are best gathered when in flower as the nectar adds considerably to the flavour. The dried and powdered fruit is used as a substitute for the spice 'allspice'. The fruit is about the size of an olive. The leaves can also be used as a spice substitute. The new bark is pleasant to chew.
Condiment: the various plants that are used as flavourings, either as herbs, spices or condiments.
Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.
Medicine
Rating: 3
Spice bush has a wide range of uses as a household remedy, especially in the treatment of colds, dysentery and intestinal parasites. It warrants scientific investigation. The bark is aromatic, astringent, diaphoretic, febrifuge, stimulant and tonic. It is pleasant to chew. It is used in the treatment of coughs and colds. The bark can be harvested at any time of the year and is used fresh or dried. The fruits are carminative. The oil from the fruits has been used in the treatment of bruises and rheumatism. A tea made from the twigs was a household remedy for colds, fevers, worms and colic. A steam bath of the twigs is used to cause perspiration in order to ease aches and pains in the body. The young shoots are harvested during the spring and can be used fresh or dried. The bark is diaphoretic and vermifuge. It was once widely used as a treatment for typhoid fevers and other forms of fevers.
Aromatic: Having an agreeable odour and stimulant qualities.
Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.
Diaphoretic: Induces perspiration.
Disinfectant: Used for cleaning wounds.
Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.
Febrifuge: Reduces fevers.
Stimulant: Excites or quickens activity of the physiological processes. Faster acting than a tonic but differing from a narcotic in that it does not give a false sense of well-being.
Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.
Other
Rating: 3
The leaves contain small quantities of camphor and can be used as an insect repellent and disinfectant. An oil with a lavender-like fragrance is obtained from the leaves. The fruit, upon distillation, yield a spice-scented oil resembling camphor. An oil smelling of wintergreen is obtained from the twigs and bark.
Disinfectant: Plants used for disinfecting.
Repellent: Plants that are said to deter but not necessarily kill various mammals, birds, insects etc.
Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.
Scented Plants: Plants noted for their scent
How it is grown
Landscape Uses:Border, Pest tolerant, Massing, Woodland garden. Requires a lime-free rather moist soil with a pH in the range 4.5 - 6. Prefers partial shade or dappled sunlight in a fertile moisture-retentive soil enriched with leafmould. Succeeds in full sun or semi-shade. Plants are hardy to about -25°c. The leaves, bark and berries are very aromatic. Plants can be pruned right back to the base if required, though any drastic pruning is best spread over several seasons. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus. The fruit has a high fat content and is much eaten by migratory birds to supply their high energy demands when migrating. Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required. Special Features:Attracts birds, North American native, Fragrant foliage, Wetlands plant, Attracts butterflies, Attractive flowers or blooms. The plant is heat tolerant in zones 8 through 1. (Plant Hardiness Zones show how well plants withstand cold winter temperatures. Plant Heat Zones show when plants would start suffering from the heat. The Plant Heat Zone map is based on the number of "heat days" experienced in a given area where the temperature climbs to over 86 degrees F (30°C). At this temperature, many plants begin to suffer physiological damage. Heat Zones range from 1 (no heat days) to 12 (210 or more heat days). For example Heat Zone. 11-1 indicates that the plant is heat tolerant in zones 11 through 1.) For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. The plant growth habit is multistemmed with multiple stems from the crown. The root pattern is a heart root, dividing from the crown into several primary roots going down and out.
Propagating it: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in the autumn in a greenhouse. The seed has a short viability and should not be allowed to dry out. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in early summer. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July in a frame. Cuttings of mature side-shoots, 10 - 12cm with a heel, September/October in a cold frame. They may root by spring. Fair to good percentage. Layering.
Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Shady Edge;
Habit: Shrub
Hardiness: 4-9
Growth: Slow
Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)
Shade: Semi-shade
Moisture: Moist
Things to keep in mind
Its other names
Local names
Synonyms
Benzoin aestivale. Laurus benzoin.