Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Magnoliids: Laurales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Lindera benzoin
FAMILY
Lauraceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Learn more about Lindera from the Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Where occurring on upland slopes, L. benzoin is an excellent indicator of base-rich soils, generally derived from calcareous sedimentary rocks or mafic metamorphic or igneous rocks, per Weakley's Flora (2022)
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Lindera benzoin var. benzoin
FAMILY
Lauraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Lindera benzoin
INCLUDING PLANTS National Database
Lindera benzoin var. pubescens
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 084-04-001:
Lindera benzoin FAMILY Lauraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Benzoin aestivale
COMMON NAME:
Northern Spicebush, Wild Allspice
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_beae_001_lvd
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_l_benzoin_spicebush
February
)
Jerry Bright jeb_linderabenzion
March McCormick County SC
Stevens Creek Heritage Preserve
Flowers in sessile/subsessile clusters. Perianth segments 6, about 2mm long, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
COMPARE
flowers of Sassafras and Spicebush
)
JK Marlow jkm130328_488
March Pittsylvania County VA
Danville Riverwalk Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm130328_491b
March Pittsylvania County VA
Danville Riverwalk Trail
)
JK Marlow jkm140322_373
March Oconee County SC
Oconee Station/Station Cove
Bark thin, dark, smooth but with raised, conspicuous lenticels, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm230320_1736
March Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm230320_1737
March Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
)
Keith Bradley kab_lindera_benzoin_1677
March Polk County NC
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_lindera_benzoin
March
)
JK Marlow jkm0404e_11
April Haywood County NC
Corneille Bryan Native Garden
Yellow flowers in dense axillary umbels appear before the leaves, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
)
JK Marlow jkm120424_531
April Pickens County SC
Jocassee Gorges
Leaves ovate in shape, decreasing in size toward the base of the twig, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).
COMPARE
leaves of Silverbell, Spicebush and Storax
)
JK Marlow jkm120424_649
April Pickens County SC
Jocassee Gorges
Leaves spicy-scented when crushed, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
)
JK Marlow jkm160421_349
April Sevier County TN
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
)
JK Marlow s070526_b
May Polk County NC
Leaf apex decidedly acuminate; margin ciliate, entire; base tapered or cuneate, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm090706_003
July Mitchell County NC
Hedgerow
Flowers in umbellate clusters. Drupe red [when ripe], ellipsoid, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
)
JK Marlow jkm170818_702
August Jackson County NC
Big Ridge Preserve
Rarely does it reach this size!
)
JK Marlow jkm0409e_03
September Oconee County SC
Oconee Station/Station Cove
When found on upland slopes, an excellent indicator of base-rich soils, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm0409e_04
September Oconee County SC
Oconee Station/Station Cove
)
JK Marlow jkm220927_0057
September Greenville County SC
Chestnut Ridge Heritage Preserve
)
Richard and Teresa Ware rtw_lindera_benzoin_6
September
)
JK Marlow jkm121006_350
October Washington County VA
Virginia Creeper Trail
Fruit is a bright deep red, oblong, and fragrant when crushed, per Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989).
COMPARE
fruit of Lauraceae family
)
JK Marlow jkm0511d_21
November Jackson County NC
Roadside
)
JK Marlow s051106_k
November Jackson County NC
Roadside
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Lindera benzoin
FAMILY
Lauraceae
INCLUDING
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Lindera benzoin var. benzoin
FAMILY
Lauraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Lindera benzoin
INCLUDING
PLANTS National Database
Lindera benzoin var. pubescens
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 084-04-001:
Lindera benzoin
FAMILY
Lauraceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Benzoin aestivale
843
Shrub
Perennial
Dioecious or polygamo-dioecious
Habitat: Rich alluvial forests, mesic forests on slopes with circumneutral soils, bottomlands, swamps, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common (uncommon in GA Coastal Plain)
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
Yellow
Radially symmetrical
3-merous
6 deciduous tepals
9 fertile stamens on staminate flowers
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Red
Drupe
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p083
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p251
- Great Smoky Mountains Wildflowers (Campbell, Hutson, Sharp, & Hutson, 1962) p026
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p224
- Landscaping with Native Trees (Sternberg & Wilson, 1995) p255
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p099
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p062
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p442
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p199
- The Shrub Identification Book (Symonds, 1963) p187
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p088
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p31
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p293
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p194
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p197
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