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Lindera benzoin
| Common name: |
Spice Bush |
Family: |
Lauraceae |
| Author: |
(L.)Blume. |
Botanical references: |
11, 43, 200 |
| Synonyms: |
Laurus benzoin (L.), Benzoin aestivale (Nees.) |
| Known Hazards: |
None known |
| Range: |
Eastern N. America - Maine and Ontario to Kentucky, Missouri and Kansas. |
| Habitat: |
Wet woods and by streams[184] on sandy or peaty soils[149]. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
3 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| L. benzoin var. benzoin[B,P]
Laurus aestivalis[G]
|
| Other Common Names: | From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below. |
| Benjamin [H], Benjamin Spice Bush [H], Common Spicebush [DEN1], Northern Spicebush [P,B], Spice Bush [H], |
| Systematics: | From a USDA
Plants Database |
|
Order: Laurales. Laurel family
|
| Other Range Info: |
From the Ethnobotany Database |
|
Us; Us(Appalachia)
|
Physical Characteristics
A decidious shrub growing to 3m by 3m . It is hardy to zone 5. It is in flower in April, and the seeds ripen from August to September. The scented flowers are dioecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but only one sex is to be found on any one plant so both male and female plants must be grown if seed is required).
The plant not is self-fertile.
We rate it 3/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soil.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland).
It requires moist soil.
Habitats and Possible Locations
Woodland, Sunny Edge, Shady Edge.Edible Uses
Condiment; Tea.
The young leaves, twigs and fruit contain an aromatic essential oil and
make a very fragrant tea[55, 62, 95, 102, 149, 183]. The twigs are best
gathered when in flower as the nectar adds considerably to the flavour[183].
The dried and powdered fruit is used as a substitute for the spice
'allspice'[2, 46, 55, 62, 95, 183]. The fruit is about the size of an
olive[245]. The leaves can also be used as a spice substitute[55].
The new bark is pleasant to chew[183].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Aromatic; Astringent; Diaphoretic; Febrifuge; Stimulant; Tonic.
Spice bush has a wide range of uses as a household remedy, especially
in the treatment of colds, dysentery and intestinal parasites[222, 238]. It
warrants scientific investigation[222].
The bark is aromatic, astringent, diaphoretic, febrifuge, stimulant and
tonic[61, 149, 227, 257]. It is pleasant to chew[227]. It is used in the
treatment of coughs and colds[257]. The bark can be harvested at any time of
the year and is used fresh or dried[238].
The fruits are carminative[222].
The oil from the fruits has been used in the treatment of bruises and
rheumatism[222].
A tea made from the twigs was a household remedy for colds, fevers, worms
and colic[222]. A steam bath of the twigs is used to cause perspiration in
order to ease aches and pains in the body[257]. The young shoots are
harvested during the spring and can be used fresh or dried[238].
The bark is diaphoretic and vermifuge. It was once widely used as a
treatment for typhoid fevers and other forms of fevers[213, 222].
Other Uses
Disinfectant; Repellent.
The leaves contain small quantities of camphor and can be used as an
insect repellent and disinfectant[169]. An oil with a lavender-like fragrance
is obtained from the leaves[245].
The fruit, upon distillation, yield a spice-scented oil resembling
camphor[245].
An oil smelling of wintergreen is obtained from the twigs and bark[245].
Cultivation details
Requires a lime-free rather moist soil[200] with a pH in the range 4.5
- 6[238]. Prefers partial shade or dappled sunlight in a fertile
moisture-retentive soil enriched with leafmould[200]. Succeeds in full sun or
semi-shade[184].
Plants are hardy to about -25°c[184].
The leaves, bark and berries are very aromatic[182, 213].
Plants can be pruned right back to the base if required, though any drastic
pruning is best spread over several seasons[200].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].
The fruit has a high fat content and is much eaten by migratory birds to
supply their high energy demands when migrating[274].
Dioecious, male and female plants must be grown if seed is required[188,
238].
Propagation
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[200].
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[200].
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[78].
Layering.
Scent
-
Fruit: Crushed
- A spice-scented oil resembling camphor is obtained from the fruit.
-
Stem: Crushed Dried
- An oil smelling of wintergreen is obtained from the bark and the twigs.
-
Leaves: Crushed Dried
- An oil of lavender-like fragrance is obtained from the leaves.
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
PFAF Web Pages
This plant is mentioned in the following web pages
Web References
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [E] Ethnobotany Data
(common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
- [B] Data
(Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [P] Data.
(uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
- [HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database
- [DEN] Data _ Photos
(Good Identification info) from the Virginia Tech's Dendrology Deptarments' Tree Fact Sheets.
References for Lindera benzoin var. benzoin (a possible synonym).
References for the family Lauraceae.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.
[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.
[55] Harris. B. C. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health 1973
Interesting reading.
[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.
[62] Elias. T. and Dykeman. P. A Field Guide to N. American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold 1982 ISBN 0442222009
Very readable.
[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
[95] Saunders. C. F. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications 1976 ISBN 0-486-23310-3
Useful wild plants of America. A pocket guide.
[102] Kavasch. B. Native Harvests. Vintage Books 1979 ISBN 0-394-72811-4
Another guide to the wild foods of America.
[149] Vines. R. A. Trees of Central Texas. University of Texas Press 1987 ISBN 0-292-78958-3
Fairly readable, it gives details of habitats and some of the uses of trees growing in Texas.
[169] Buchanan. R. A Weavers Garden.
Covers all aspects of growing your own clothes, from fibre plants to dyes.
[182] Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2
Contains a wide range of plants with a brief description, mainly of their ornamental value but also usually of cultivation details and varieties.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[184] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30258-2
Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1900 species and cultivars.
[188] Brickell. C. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. 1990 ISBN 0-86318-386-7
Excellent range of photographs, some cultivation details but very little information on plant uses.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[213] Weiner. M. A. Earth Medicine, Earth Food. Ballantine Books 1980 ISBN 0-449-90589-6
A nice book to read though it is difficult to look up individual plants since the book is divided into separate sections dealing with the different medicinal uses plus a section on edible plants. Common names are used instead of botanical.
[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.
[227] Vines. R.A. Trees of North Texas University of Texas Press. 1982 ISBN 0292780206
A readable guide to the area, it contains descriptions of the plants and their habitats with quite a bit of information on plant uses.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.
[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.
Readers Comments
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Bibliography
Plant information taken from the
Plants For A Future -
Species Database.
Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
Blagdon Cross, Ashwater, Beaworthy, Devon, EX21 5DF, UK.
Website: www.pfaf.org Phone: 0845 458 4719/_44(0) 1208 872963 This page (UK) http://www.comp.leeds.ac.uk/cgi-bin/pfaf/arr_html?Lindera+benzoin
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