Synonyms: Benzoin aestivale (L.) Nees var. pubescens Palmer & Steyermark ; Lindera benzoin (L.) Blume var. pubescens (Palmer & Steyermark) Rehd.

Description: Shrub, to 5 m tall. Twigs green to olive-brown, becoming light brown to gray with age, smooth to nearly hairless, flaking into thin strips when older. Buds small, egg-shaped, green-brown, with stalked flower buds clustered near single vegetative buds. Leaves 4 - 15 cm long, 2 - 6 cm wide, elliptic to widest above the middle, base wedge-shaped, tip rounded or short-pointed, margin fringed with hairs, light green above, paler and smooth to densely hairy below, turning yellow in fall. Male and female flowers on separate plants (dioecious), borne in clusters of 3 - 6 at nodes, very short-stalked, tiny, yellow, lacking petals, sweetly scented. Fruit fleshy with a hard center stone (drupe), 10 mm long, bright red, oblong. Nearly all plant parts release a spicy aromatic fragrance when bruised.

Similar Species: Lindera benzoin is easily distinguished from other species in the Chicago Region by its spicy, aromatic fragrance; small, stalked flower buds clustered around a vegetative bud; clusters of 3 - 6 tiny, yellow flowers surrounding the nodes; and bright red, fleshy fruit.

Flowering: April to May.

Habitat and Ecology: Found in the understory of wet to mesic woods and swampy woodlands, this shrub is quite common in the wet wooded dune areas of Indiana.

Notes: This plant was once used medicinally to increase blood circulation and perspiration. It was also a remedy for intestinal worms, coughs, colds, and dysentery. During the Revolutionary War, the fruit was used as an allspice substitute. Many species of birds use the fruit as a food source, while the leaves are consumed by the spicebush swallowtail caterpillar.

Etymology: Lindera is named after Swedish botanist and physician, Johann Linder (1676 - 1723). Benzoin refers to the similarity of its fragrance to the balsamic resin found in Styrax benzoin.

Regional Status: Native.