The Spicebush - A Complete Profile

This video is a comprehensive overview of the Spicebush. It will cover all aspects of this plant from identification, growing conditions, germination, wildlife associations, culinary uses, medicinal, and how to landscape.

The Spicebush is a deciduous shrub native to Eastern North America. Scientifically known as Lindera benzoin, it typically grows 10-12′ tall in full sun and 3-5′ tall in shade and moist to medium-moist soil. Blooming small yellow flowers in Spring, it hosts several butterflies and caterpillars, and produces fragrant foliage and edible berries.

Digital Table of Contents

00:00 - Intro
01:05 - What is the Spicebush
01:40 - Spicebush vs Forsythia
02:53 - Identification
05:30 - Growing conditions
06:06 - Growth Rate
06:45 - Save seed
08:38 - How to grow from seed
10:32 - How to transplant
11:10 - Wildlife associations
12:03 - Where to buy Spicebush
12:20 - How to prune
12:53 - Culinary uses
16:24 - Medicinal uses of Spicebush
17:21 - Review

For more detailed information regarding this plant, see our article:

For a native plant nursery guide, see here:

[richnam]

You have some of the most thorough plant profiles for natives in our region. I great appreciate and enjoy you videos. Keep up the good work!

[astro__phil]

Very informative and well put-together profile. A very delicious spicebush drink is made from the dead twigs on the bush that need pruning. It tastes remarkably like a coke or pepsi with a very complex and absolutely delicious flavor profile. Break the dead branches up until you have enough twigs to fill a jar of whatever size. Fill the jar with water and cold-infuse by putting the jar, closed, into the refrigerator 12-24 hours. Pour the water out and enjoy. I have also done this as a sun tea but prefer the gentler infusion. This is a Native American "recipe" I learned from David Welker, a naturalist in Virginia at the Blue Heron Outdoor School.

[Herculesbiggercousin]

Idk how you do it. I was just reading about these because of my growing interest in planting a butterfly garden but didn’t find any resources that really broke the plant down like you do.

The homie strikes again. Thank you!!

[conniegriner]

Thanks for another great native plant profile. Growit Buildit is my favorite YouTube channel!

[GoldenLife-uqms]

Incredible! Learned about thsi bush this year and a loving it. I've had enough of non-native plants and monocultures of plants that don't host anything. You have totally inspired me. Thank you.

[HenhousetheRed]

That you! I collected a few seeds a few weeks ago, had saved them in the fridge with no idea what the best way to germinate was. Now I know I was fine going down the lazy path!

[bill]

Thanks for posting this! We have one male that seems to be thriving along our creekbank... need to find a few females to plant nearby. Love this shrub.

[gettysburglivecam]

Subscribed! Just found your channel and started binge watching 🙂 Amazing content, thank you!. I'm new to native gardening and planted 5 spicebush last month, young plants, single stem about 10 inches tall. Four of them are doing well, one of them the leaves are turning yellow. Maybe just stressed as they are all planted next to each other in the same conditions and receiving the same care - full sun, clay soil. I'm looking forward to watching more of your videos to learn more.

[metacyclic]

I was looking for an understory plants for my oaks. I'll add these to the list. Thanks!

[PatbirderscCreek]

Excellent video! Very educational. I’m looking forward to having spice bush in my yard.

[JodiMontano]

That's about the most thorough coverage of a plant that I've ever seen. Thank you. This is a new plant for me, but I live in SW Missouri, which appears to be included in its native range, so I'll be on the lookout for it so I can collect some berries for seed!

[hondajanak]

Just found them near my new house in Missouri. Thanks for making this informative and well filmed video.

[T-Mo_]

Nice video, well done. Picked some berries this morning on my brother's property. Absolutely loaded underneath mature hickory trees. Interesting flavor. Probably be good in applesauce or pumpkin pie. I need to remove a sumac next to my garage that is getting too large. A couple of these would be a nice replacement.

[donnahoward]

Enjoyed the video. Always nice learning something. I really like the thoroughness and thought that goes into each informative post. Thanks!

[COLLINS]

Great video! Adding another item to my native plant wishlist!

[joansmith]

I live in Texas, zone 8. I bought 2 little spicebushes (4 inch pot, about 6 inches tall) online this spring and planted them on the south side of a hackberry tree. They got morning sun and afternoon shade. They were growing a little and happy until we got to july and multiple 100+ f (110 once) highs and 83, 84 f lows. I covered them with burlap and gave them plenty of water. They still lost their leaves. Now that temps are lower, they are starting to grow leaves again. So, I don't think you can grow spice bush in the south in full sun. Just sayin.

[LaconicMind]

I live in an area with Canadian tiger swallowtails and eastern tiger swallowtails. I saw one of those species lay 8 eggs on mine this year. NWF also lists it as being a host plant for Eastern Tiger swallowtails.

[dominiquebarrette]

Love your videos -so amazing, instructive, and complete thank you so much for sharing

[KimblesTheBrave]

I'm really hoping to plant some of these on my property, so thank you for the video! They grow all around the woods in my area (southern Ontario) and the berries are super interesting IMO. It's surprisingly hard to find info on them as a landscaping plant so I appreciate you showing what it looks like when grown in full sun. 😁

[linguaphile]

Two days ago, my boyfriend and I found tons of spicebush trees on the edge of his woods, and I was so happy to see your video. Looks like I will be getting some berries from him and trying to grow it! I'll probably try all the methods you mentioned, just to see what works best. Not sure if I missed it, but are there suckers or volunteers that I could just dig up and transplant?