American Spicebush

Image Gallery courtesy Missouri Botanical PlantFinder/Tammy Palmier

Winter’s end on the banks of the Black River near South Haven, Michigan, is punctuated with cheerful dots of limey-lemon color. Although most folks today don’t know it, that early spring eruption occurs compliments of the American spicebush – a medium-sized shrub that once lived in the spotlight.

The American spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is a native shrub that displays clusters of tiny, greenish-yellow flowers in March and April before its leaves appear. The hardy plant is found in the north from Maine to Michigan and through the South down to Florida and Texas. As an 8-to-12-foot-tall, under-story species, spicebush thrives in the dappled shade of damp woods with rich soils, in ravines, alongside streams and in partially shaded, swampy areas.

This unassuming native often goes unnoticed, but it makes a lovely addition to the home landscape that delivers visual appeal all year. Shortly after the blossoms fade, tiny oblong drupes (berries) develop on the female plants. In fall, when the spicebush’s light green leaves change to a creamy butter yellow, its berries ripen to a brilliant red. The berries are lovely to look at and have the added value of providing food for birds and other wildlife.

But there is much more to the American spicebush’s story than landscape appeal.

Old aromatic

The American spicebush has a long history of medicinal and culinary uses, as its many names would indicate. Lindera benzoin is also known as “spicewood,” “wild allspice,” “fever bush,” “Benjamin Bush” and “snap-wood,” in addition to spicebush. Be sure to request it by its botanical name at the nursery, or you may end up with Calycanthus floridus, Carolina Allspice, or Calycanthus occidentalis, California Spice Bush.

A member of the Laurel family, American spicebush is named for the Swedish botanist, Johann Lindler, and “benzoin” comes from an Oriental gum of the same name because the shrub has a similar spicy aroma and flavor.

American spicebush’s bark, fruit and leaves are aromatic, and all have been used for everything from flavorings to scent making. Spicewood oil is used to add a spicy fragrance in perfumes, especially those with a lavender bouquet. The berries, dried and powdered, were used during the American Revolution as a substitute for allspice, and early American settlers used dried spicebush bark in place of cinnamon. In the American wilderness, when both the population and stores were sparse, pioneers used spicebush as a general spice.

During the Civil War, spicebush tea often substituted for coffee when rations ran short. Dried leaves were often used for this purpose, but young branches were also steeped to make a tonic. This spicy beverage had medicinal qualities as well. It was used to reduce fever, to relieve colds and dysentery, and to destroy intestinal parasites. Lindera benzoin is considered a warming herb that improves circulation and increases perspiration rate.