Practical
Plants

Lindera benzoin

Spice Bush

a perennial woody deciduous member of the Lindera genus in the family Lauraceae.

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Taxonomy and growth

Family
Lauraceae
Genus
Lindera
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
deciduous
Woodiness
woody
Height
3 m
Spread
3 m
Fertility
self sterile
Flower type
dioecious

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The young leaves, twigs and fruit contain an aromatic essential oil and make a very fragrant tea[18][20][22][1][2][5]. The twigs are best gathered when in flower as the nectar adds considerably to the flavour[5]. The dried and powdered fruit is used as a substitute for the spice 'allspice'[8][17][18][20][22][5]. The fruit is about the size of an olive[14]. The leaves can also be used as a spice substitute[18]. The new bark is pleasant to chew[5].

Product or use
Condiment
Product or use
Tea

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Spice bush has a wide range of uses as a household remedy, especially in the treatment of colds, dysentery and intestinal parasites[11][13]. It warrants scientific investigation[11]. The bark is aromatic, astringent, diaphoretic, febrifuge, stimulant and tonic[19][2][12][15]. It is pleasant to chew[12]. It is used in the treatment of coughs and colds[15]. The bark can be harvested at any time of the year and is used fresh or dried[13]. The fruits are carminative[11]. The oil from the fruits has been used in the treatment of bruises and rheumatism[11]. A tea made from the twigs was a household remedy for colds, fevers, worms and colic[11]. A steam bath of the twigs is used to cause perspiration in order to ease aches and pains in the body[15]. The young shoots are harvested during the spring and can be used fresh or dried[13]. The bark is diaphoretic and vermifuge. It was once widely used as a treatment for typhoid fevers and other forms of fevers[10][11].

Product or use
Aromatic
Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Diaphoretic
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Stimulant
Product or use
Tonic

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The leaves contain small quantities of camphor and can be used as an insect repellent and disinfectant[3]. An oil with a lavender-like fragrance is obtained from the leaves[14]. The fruit, upon distillation, yield a spice-scented oil resembling camphor[14]. An oil smelling of wintergreen is obtained from the twigs and bark[14].

Product or use
Disinfectant
Product or use
Repellent

Environment

Range
Eastern N. America - Maine and Ontario to Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas.
Habitat
Wet woods and by streams[6] on sandy or peaty soils[2].
Shade tolerance
partial shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 5+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
very acid, acid, neutral
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

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[9]. 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[9]. 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[21]. Layering.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Requires a lime-free rather moist soil[9] with a pH in the range 4.5 - 6[13]. Prefers partial shade or dappled sunlight in a fertile moisture-retentive soil enriched with leafmould[9]. Succeeds in full sun or semi-shade[6]. Plants are hardy to about -25°c[6]. The leaves, bark and berries are very aromatic[4][10]. Plants can be pruned right back to the base if required, though any drastic pruning is best spread over several seasons[9]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[9]. The fruit has a high fat content and is much eaten by migratory birds to supply their high energy demands when migrating[16]. Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required[7][13].

References

  1. Kavasch. B. Native Harvests. Vintage Books 1979-00-00 ISBN 0-394-72811-4

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  2. Vines. R. A. Trees of Central Texas. University of Texas Press 1987-00-00 ISBN 0-292-78958-3

    ↩1↩2↩3

  3. Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.

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  4. Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2

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  5. Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  6. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30258-2

    ↩1↩2↩3

  7. Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-86318-386-7

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  8. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

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  9. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  10. Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980-00-00 ISBN 0-449-90589-6

    ↩1↩2

  11. Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990-00-00 ISBN 0395467225

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  12. Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982-00-00 ISBN 0292780206

    ↩1↩2

  13. Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995-00-00 ISBN 0-7513-020-31

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5

  14. Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994-00-00 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  15. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  16. Diggs, Jnr. G.M.; Lipscomb. B. L. & O'Kennon. R. J Illustrated Flora of North Central Texas Botanical Research Institute, Texas. 1999-00-00 http://artemis.austincollege.edu/acad/bio/gdiggs/NCTXpdf.htm

    ↩

  17. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  18. Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  19. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

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  20. Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982-00-00 ISBN 0442222009

    ↩1↩2

  21. Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948-00-00

    ↩

  22. Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976-00-00 ISBN 0-486-23310-3

    ↩1↩2

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