Spicebush

Did you know

• Spicebush blooms before its own leaves—a haze of tiny yellow flower clusters covers the bare branches in March, often months before any other woodland shrub even thinks of waking up.
• Crush a twig, leaf, or berry and you'll get a powerful spicy-citrus aroma—colonial Americans called it 'wild allspice' and used the dried red berries as a substitute for true allspice.
• Spicebush is the host plant of the spicebush swallowtail butterfly—the green caterpillars have huge fake 'eyes' on their bodies that make them look exactly like tiny snakes to predators.
• Indigenous peoples brewed spicebush twig tea for fevers, colds, and to ease childbirth—settlers adopted the practice and 'spicebush tea' became a folk remedy across Appalachia.
• Wild turkeys and migrating thrushes love the bright red berries—a single mature spicebush can produce thousands of berries in a year, supporting fall bird migration.

Color meanings

Uses

• Native plant gardens
• Butterfly gardens
• Woodland shrub
• Wild edibles