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Genus: Lindera Species: benzoin Common Name: Spice Bush Family: Lauraceae Order: Laurales Native: East North America Habit: Shrub Height: 5 to 15 feet Width: 6 to 12 feet Flowering Season: Spring Flower Color: Greenish-yellow Propagation: Seed, layering or stem cutting Zone: 4-9 Note: This shrub is suitable for shrub borders, woodland gardens and next to ponds and streams. The aromatic flowers of this dioecious plant appear before the foliage does in early Spring. The male flowers of Spice Bush are larger and more attractive than the female flowers. The foliage is consumed by swallowtail butterflies, and turn to a showy yellow in the Fall. Fruits are red, attractive to birds, and mostly visible when the leaves have dropped. Prefers sunny to partly shady, moist, well-drained, organic-rich soil.