Spicebush

One of the most unique scents in the midwestern forests is spicebush. The smell of citrus, nutmeg, and cloves is rare to come by in the wild, which is why this shrub makes such an excellent spice. Let’s dive in!

Plant Profile:

Scientific Name: Lindera benzoin

Preferred Habitat: Mature hardwood forests in dappled shade. I typically find them not too far from water sources, and on the edges of the woods and in clearings.

Edible Parts: Fruit, twigs, leaves, flowers.

Distribution: East of the Rocky Mountains in the US and Canada

Harvest Season: Late summer/early fall for the berries, all year for the rest of the plant.

Key Identifiers: Alternate leaves that are oval with smooth edges (no teeth), the shrubs are small and the scent of the berries are a great indicator! If you squish a berry and smell a strong citrus/allspice smell, you’ve found spicebush.

Toxic Look-Alikes: While not all toxic, there are a few look-alikes: pondberry (Lindera melissifolia) if you live in Ripley county Misssouri, and flowering dogwood (Cornus florida) can both look similar.

Nutrition: This particular plant is obscure enough that I couldn’t find any studies done on the nutrient value although I did find the following supposed health benefits:

• Bark is aromatic, an astringent, a diaphoretic, a febrifuge, a stimulant and a tonic.

• The Native Americans used spicebush to fight colds, fevers, intestinal parasites, rheumatism and bruises among other things.

• Spicebush tea also makes a good de-wormer.

A better description of the flavor is that it tastes something like allspice mixed with a hint of citrus and cloves. The flavor is warm, pleasant, and lends itself well to baked goods, savory dishes, sauces, and desserts.

I have only ever eaten it fresh before, but I did find a spicebush ice cream that I’m dying to try: Recipe

The bark is also edible and imparts a lot of flavor when soaked as a concentrate or a tea (which is great for the winter!)

As some of you know, I’m a big believer in growing native shrubs that benefit wildlife, look pretty, are low maintenance, and serve a the purpose of food production. This makes spicebush a great food forest crop for the permaculture enthusiast!

Spicebush is a dioecious plant meaning it doesn’t have male and female parts on the same plant, so only the female plants will produce berries! Keep this in mind when you see lots of the plant but none of it is producing.

Spicebush is definitely one you want in your yard if you live in the climate for it! I have heard mixed things about how well it propagates. Some people say it’s really easy, others say it’s tricky to propagate, but whatever you do, don’t transplant a shrub. Most do not take well to transplant (with some exception) and it isn’t good form to remove a plant completely from it’s natural habitat in the wild (propagation and seed spreading are great though!)

You may be wondering how you can get this plant out in your yard or on your homestead. Well there are a few places that carry spicebush as a shrub, although I don’t think there are any special cultivated varieties unfortunately:

Kollar Nursery

Northern Ridge Nursery

And if you want to try spicebush that is pre-harvested or processed for you, Foraged Market sells a few different products seasonally: Foraged Market

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