Pondberry
Lindera melissifolia
In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in floodplain and bottomland forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you
Native to Louisiana. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 88%
- Height
- Up to about 5 feet
- Light
- Dappled sunlight, Deep shade
- Soil moisture
- Moist to standing water
No photograph yet. Looking for an old drawing…
Federally endangered. Excluded from routine garden suggestions. Consult conservation guidance before obtaining or planting this species. Plant caution source
Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Woody perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
- Bloom
- March to April
- Fruiting season
- August to September
Not yet recorded · Spread
County records are not available.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Floodplain and bottomland forests
Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 158 animals.
- Yellow RailCoturnicops noveboracensis
- Acadian FlycatcherEmpidonax virescens
- American BitternBotaurus lentiginosus
- American White PelicanPelecanus erythrorhynchos
- AnhingaAnhinga anhinga
- Barn SwallowHirundo rustica
- Barred OwlStrix varia
- Black RailLaterallus jamaicensis
- Black VultureCoragyps atratus
- Black-bellied PloverPluvialis squatarola
- Bonaparte's GullChroicocephalus philadelphia
- Brown ThrasherToxostoma rufum
- Carolina ChickadeePoecile carolinensis
- Caspian TernHydroprogne caspia
- Chipping SparrowSpizella passerina
- Common Ground-doveColumbina passerina
- Common TernSterna hirundo
- Dark-eyed JuncoJunco hyemalis
- Eastern BluebirdSialia sialis
- Eurasian WigeonAnas penelope
- Field SparrowSpizella pusilla
- GadwallAnas strepera
- Glossy IbisPlegadis falcinellus
- Gray CatbirdDumetella carolinensis
Widespread birds also seen here (34)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
- American Goldfinch
- American Kestrel
- American Robin
- Bald Eagle
- Black-crowned Night-heron
- Blue Grosbeak
- Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
- Canada Goose
- Cedar Waxwing
- Chimney Swift
- Common Nighthawk
- Common Yellowthroat
- Cooper's Hawk
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Eastern Kingbird
- European Starling
- Great Egret
- Great Horned Owl
- Mourning Dove
- Northern Cardinal
- Northern Flicker
- Northern Mockingbird
- Osprey
- Pine Siskin
- Purple Finch
- Red-tailed Hawk
- Red-winged Blackbird
- Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Tree Swallow
- Turkey Vulture
- White-throated Sparrow
- Yellow-breasted Chat
- Yellow-crowned Night-heron
- Yellow-rumped Warbler
Who uses this plant?
14CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA
Genus host records with ranges including LA · 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
- Papilio palamedesPalamedes Swallowtail
- Parasa chlorisSmaller Parasa, Green Slug 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
6BirdsRecorded eating Lindera in Louisiana
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Louisiana, most records first.
- American RobinFruit. 1 diet record
- Eastern KingbirdFruit. 1 diet record
- Hermit ThrushFruit and seeds. 1 diet record
- Northern CardinalFruit. 1 diet record
- VeeryFruit and seeds. 1 diet record
- Wood ThrushFruit and seeds. 1 diet record
Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Birds that eat Lindera 6
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- VeeryCatharus fuscescens
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
Plant details
- Family
- Lauraceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 7b–9b
- Flower color
- Yellow
- Fruit begins
- August
- Fruit ends
- September
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “March to April” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Fruit begins · “August” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “September” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
- Hardiness · “Zones 7b–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “Up to about 5 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Deep shade (less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- primary_flower_color · “yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Frequent standing water; Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Lindera melissaefolium
Conservation status
| Louisiana rank | SH |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G3 |
| LA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Endangered (US Fish and Wildlife Service) |
Conservation source Global rank source Federal status source: US Fish and Wildlife Service
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- NatureServe Explorer
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Louisiana occurrence source
- 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