Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY
Genus host records with ranges including KY · Lindera
- Callosamia prometheaPromethea Moth
- Papilio troilusSpicebush Swallowtail
- Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
- Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
- Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
- Apatelodes torrefactaSpotted Apatelodes
- Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
- Emmelina monodactylaMorning-Glory Plume Moth
- Epimecis hortariaTulip-Tree Beauty
- Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
Show all 14
- Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
- Parasa chlorisSmaller Parasa, Green Slug Moth
- Phaecasiophora confixanaMacramé Moth
- Tetracis crocallataYellow Slant-Line
1BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Lindera
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
7BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Lindera
- Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
- Hylocichla mustelinaWood Thrush
- Catharus fuscescensVeery
- Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
- Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
- Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
- Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Lauraceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 5a–9b
- Flower color
- Yellow or green
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Growth habit
- Several stems
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- Summer
- Fruit ends
- Fall
Flowering timing. Species profile reports March–April, before leaf-out; timing varies with location and year. Source
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “March to April” · NC State Extension · reviewed species facts
- Flower color · “Yellow or green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth habit · “Several stems” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Slow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Hardiness · “Zones 5a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “8–15 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “6–15 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Spicebush
Conservation status
| Kentucky rank | S5 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| KY status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
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Sources
- tnky_atlas
- usda
- nc_flora
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications