Butterfly Garden Plant Lindera benzoin Spicebush
Northern Spicebush
(Lindera benzoin)
Other common names for this plant include
General Information
Cultural Requirements
Native Range
Plant Rating
Plant Reviews
General Information
Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar
Useful in a shrub border or at the back of a perennial bed, Northern Spicebush starts the growing season with small but fragrant yellow flowers which bloom along the twigs before the leaves emerge. During the growing season, the shrub produces glossy leaves that are pest and disease free.
Should Northern Spicebush grow too large for it’s garden spot, it is easily cut back in the spring. In the fall, the leaves turn a rich golden-yellow. Finally, if you have planted both a male and female Northern Spicebush (to do this, you must plant a few and hope for the best), you will be rewarded with small, red-purple fruit that becomes readily apparent after the leaves fall but before it is eaten by birds.
Read more about the use of Spicebush for butterfly gardening in a reprint of an article from Butterfly Gardener magazine: Caterpillar Food Plant: Spicebush
Importance as a butterfly nectar source:
With insignificant early spring flowers, Northern Spicebush is not a nectar source.
Importance as a caterpillar food source:
The caterpillar of the Spicebush Swallowtail butterfly feeds on Spicebush leaves. Caterpillar eggs are laid singly on the underside of the leaves. The caterpillars spend most of the day in rolled up leaf shelters, coming out to feed at night.
| USDA Hardiness Zone | 4 to 9 |
| Bloom Period | April |
| Bloom Color | Greenish yellow, insignificant |
| Plant Height | 6 to 12 feet |
| Plant Spread | 6 to 12 feet |
| Light Exposure | Sun to part shade |
| Soil Moisture | Average |
| Animal/Disease Problems | Non |
Plant Rating
Plant rating scale ranges from 0 to 3. Plants rating 3 are the most useful for butterfly gardens. For more details on the ratings, see Native Plant Ratings
| Garden Rating | 3 |
| Nectar Rating | 0 |
| Caterpillar Rating | 3 |
