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Rain Garden Plants: Spicebush

An informative guide on Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), covering growth habitats, ideal site conditions, and distinctive features such as yellow flowers and bright golden leave color in the fall.

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Updated:

April 24, 2025

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Spicebush leaves. Photo credit: Mike Masiuk, Penn State Extension

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This is a slow-growing, deciduous understory shrub with a rounded habit. It can grow in a variety of light conditions, including full sun in a rain garden. Clusters of yellow flowers are visible before leaves develop. Leaves are alternate and have an oblong shape with a smooth margin. Leaves display bright golden fall color. This plant is dioecious, so female plants require a male plant to set fruit. Ripened red berries are visible in fall. Conspicuous stem lenticels (raised pores on the stem) speckle the light brown to light gray bark. Stems, flowers, leaves, and fruit emit a spicy aroma when crushed. Spicebush attracts a variety of wildlife, including the spicebush swallowtail butterfly, promethea moth, eastern tiger swallowtail, other pollinators, birds, and small mammals. This shrub is resistant to deer browse.

Height: 6 to 12 feet
Bloom color: Yellow, green
Bloom time: March to May
Hardiness zone: 4a to 10
Salt tolerance: Low to none
Spreading habit: Clonal spread via roots sprouting, seeds are viable for
long periods, does not transplant well

Site Conditions

Sun: Partial shade, understory conditions
Soil: Rich, well-drained (pH 5.0 to 8.0)
Hydrologic zone: Moist, tolerates occasional flooding and occasional
dry periods

References

Cornell University, Spicebush
Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center, Spicebush
North Carolina Extension, Lindera benzoin
US Department of Agriculture, Lindera benzoin (pdf)

Spicebush flowers. Clusters of small yellow flowers on a branch — Spicebush flowers

Spicebush fruit. Small red fruit-like berries along the stem — Spicebush fruit

Spicebush stems. Multi-stem shrub. — Base of the shrub showing multi-stem growth and lenticels

Overall appearance of a Spicebush shrub — Spicebush plant/shrub

Spicebush leaves with yellow fall color — Spicebush leaves in the fall.

Prepared by Jodi Sulpizio, Connie Schmotzer, Jessica Chou, and Beth Yount. Reviewed by Sandra Feather and Scott Sjolander. Finalized by Jodi Sulpizio.

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