Northern spicebush (Lindera benzoin) — Plotwright

›

›

Northern spicebush

Habit (mature) · Jason Hollinger / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0

Limited coverage

Northern spicebush

Lindera benzoin

A native deciduous shrub of eastern North American bottomland forests, valued for early-spring greenish-yellow blooms, brilliant scarlet drupes on female plants, butter-yellow fall foliage, and its role as the canonical specialist host for spicebush swallowtail butterfly larvae. One of the most ecologically load-bearing native shrubs for partly shaded woodland and rain-garden plantings.

Native: 33 US states + 2 CA provinces

Review: Source-backed

Climate fit: broad (76/100)

Structure

Pollinator

Light

Part sun / Part shade

Water

Moderate water

Mature size

72-144" tall · 96" apart

Hardy in zones

5a-9b

very cold to frosty winters

Summer heat range

Cool-Hot

cool to hot summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.

Native in Illinois

Yes

Related products

Sponsored

Watering and irrigation

Watering cans, soaker hoses, drip kits, moisture meters, and timers.

Search watering and irrigation on Amazon →

Acid-soil care

Sulfur, acid-loving plant fertilizer, pine bark, and pH monitoring.

Search acid-soil care on Amazon →

Soil testing and pH

pH meters, soil test kits, lab mailers, and amendment calculators.

Search soil testing and ph on Amazon →

Transplanting and establishment

Trowels, transplant spades, starter fertilizer, root stimulators, and watering bags.

Search transplanting and establishment on Amazon →

Drainage and aeration

Perlite, pumice, raised-bed mix, aerators, and drainage-focused containers.

Search drainage and aeration on Amazon →

Pest and disease monitoring

Sticky traps, hand lenses, sprayers, disease-monitoring tools, and pest barriers.

Search pest and disease monitoring on Amazon →

Plotwright may earn a commission from purchases made through these links, at no extra cost to you.

A documented larval host for the Spicebush swallowtail — specialist wildlife that depend on plants like this to reproduce.

Wildlife relationships

Cold hardiness

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7b

Plotwright

Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)

Well-suited

In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

°C

°F

Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 41 ecoregions — 39 climate-resilient through 2070 · 1 suited today · 1 newly possible by 2070. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

Arizona Mountains forests

Atlantic coastal pine barrens

Blue Mountains forests

Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

Central Tallgrass prairie

Central-Southern Cascades Forests

Chilean Matorral

Pollination

Dioecious — needs male pollinizer

DIOECIOUS — separate male and female plants. A male within pollination range is required for female plants to produce the scarlet drupes that drive both the ornamental value and the bird-forage role. Plant gender is not visible until flowering begins; nurseries rarely label gender.

Compatible pollinizers

A second Lindera benzoin of the opposite gender within ~100 feet; multiple males per cluster of females improves fruit set. Nurseries usually cannot guarantee plant gender at point of sale — buy 3-5 plants of unknown gender for reasonable odds.

Within

100 feet of a partner

Bloom timing

Partner bloom-time matching: required

Plants don't grow alone

Larval host

Specialist

Butterfly

Spicebush swallowtail (Papilio troilus)

NC State Plant Toolbox documents spicebush as the primary larval host for Papilio troilus (spicebush swallowtail), supporting two generations per year from April through October. The caterpillar's snake-mimicking defense (folding to display large false eyespots) is one of the most striking caterpillar adaptations in eastern forests.

Nectar forage

Bee

Common eastern bumblebee (Bombus impatiens)

Early-emerging bumblebee queens work the spring flowers when few other native shrubs are blooming — spicebush fills a critical early-season gap.

Fruit forage

Bird

Eastern songbirds (multi-species) (multiple species (Passeriformes))

NC State notes "Birds eat the fruit"; the high-lipid red drupes are a fall-migration energy source for thrushes, robins, and other migrating songbirds.

For people

Edible with preparation

Aromatic leaves, twigs, and dried fruits have a long history of use by Indigenous peoples and colonial settlers as a tea and substitute spice (the common name "spicebush" reflects this). The fragrance of crushed leaves is the surest field identification trait. NC State documents historical use but does not recommend modern internal use without expert guidance.

Edible parts

leaves, fruits

Culinary use

Dried ripe drupes ground as an allspice-adjacent seasoning; young leaves and twigs steeped as a fragrant herbal tea. Both flavors are notably aromatic — the essential oil is the active component.

Traditional medicinal use

Documented Indigenous use as a tea for fevers and other complaints; colonial period use as a spice substitute when allspice and other tropical spices were unavailable.

Sources & citations

Cite this page

For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.

Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Northern spicebush (Lindera benzoin). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/spicebush

Sources for every fact

Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited — 18 source-backed.

NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox

University extension service

Backs 17 fields

Identity

Summary

Plant type

Light

Moisture

Hardiness

Heat zone

Size

Spacing

Habit

Design roles

Seasonal interest

Growth stages

Lifecycle

Regional guidance

Success tips

Designer notes

Wikimedia Commons

Photo · CC BY 2.0

Backs 1 field

Image

Community photos

The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.

Plotwright

Climate-aware plant planning — every plant checked against your zone now and in 2050.

support@arteractive.co

Explore

Reference

Policies

© 2026 Plotwright