Lindera benzoin (Northern Spicebush)

Northern Spicebush (Lindera benzoin)

Height, Spread: 8-15 ft, 6-15 ft

Water/Soil: Moist, occasionally dry or wet

Light: Part shade

Bloom: Spring, clusters of tiny greenish-yellow flowers

Native Range: Eastern & Central North America

Qualities: Attractive to pollinators, Host plant, Wildlife resource, NC Native

Notes: Deciduous shrub commonly found in moist woodlands. Attractive to pollinators and the host plant for the Palamedes Swallowtail butterfly ( Papilio palamedes), the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly (Papilio troilus), and the Promethea Silk moth (Callosamia promethea). Fruits are eaten by birds and small mammals, and deer browse the leaves. This plant is diecious, meaning it needs a male plant and a female plant to reproduce. This shrub is best used in a butterfly or native garden.