Spicebush

Lindera benzoin, commonly called spicebush, common spicebush, northern spicebush, wild allspice or Benjamin bush, is a deciduous shrub in the laurel family, native to eastern North America. It grows in the understory of moist, rich woods, especially those with exposed limestone, and often forms clumps or thickets. The leaves and stems are aromatic when crushed, with a spicy, citrusy smell. Yellow flowers with a very sweet odour appear in early spring before the leaves, and the ripe fruit is a red berrylike drupe, rich in lipids, that birds eat. Early land surveyors used it as an indicator of good agricultural land. The leaves, buds and new twigs make a tea, and the dried, ground fruits substitute for allspice. The Cherokee, Muscogee and Haudenosaunee traditionally use the plant to treat multiple ailments. Other plants in the genus and in the sweetshrub family share the name spicebush.