Download Spicebush

April Tree-of-the-Month
Spicebush
Lindera benzoin
Spicebush is
one of the our
first native shrubs to
bloom in the spring. The
bright yellow flowers emerge
from little round buds before the
leaves appear. People mistake it for
forsythia, but don’t be fooled!
The spicebush is in the laurel family (Lauraceae).
Like many members of this family, most parts of the
plant contain aromatic oils. Familiar foods and spices
like avocado, bay leaf, cinnamon, and sassafras are in the
laurel family. The bright red berries of spicebush, if properly
prepared, can be dried and ground for use as a peppercorn
substitute. But please don’t pick the berries; the birds need
them more than you.
Spicebush is also a host plant for the spicebush swallowtail. These caterpillars and
butterflies primarily live and feed on plants in the laurel family.
Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly
Papila troilus
dark front wings
with yellow spots
along the outer
edges
Spicebush Swallowtail
Caterpillar
back wings also
have a row of blue
patches plus a red
spot on the inside
of each wing
Letterboxing!
Letterboxing is a fun way to explore the Arboretum and find spicebushes. For more
information on letterboxing, go to www.letterboxing.org. Check out a new letterbox every
month—stop by the Hunnewell Visitor Center or download a guide online.
To find the letterbox, follow these directions:
yy Head down Meadow Road until you past the first pond and are even with the black
arbor on the left.
yy Turn left and walk 21 steps, through the arbor.
yy Turn left and walk 45 steps so you are next to Corylus heterophylla var. sutchuenensis.
yy Continue straight, 39 steps past the large, many-stemmed Corylus americana.
yy Turn left and walk 17 steps to Lindera benzoin f. benzoin and search for the letterbox.
Follow the directions inside and leave everything just as you found it.
yy This parent of the letterbox lindera was grown by J.T. Dawson, the Arboretum’s first
propagator. In 1875 he collected seeds from a plant in Amherst, Massachusetts. Did
you know that the big pond on this side of the road is named for Dawson?
125 Arborway
Boston, MA 02130-3500
617-384-5209
www.arboretum.harvard.edu