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Pondberry

Lindera melissifolia

Found in depression ponds and limesinks; floodplain and bottomland forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

65
Strong

Native to Mississippi. 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
Will it fit your yard?

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

Recorded in 3 Mississippi counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Depression ponds and limesinks

Shallow ponds in Coastal Plain depressions, such as limesinks and the ponds in some Carolina bays, that rise and fall with the seasons.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Mississippi. Shared habitat, not food. 176 animals.

All wildlife of Mississippi

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

15CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · 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 15
  • Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
  • Papilio palamedesPalamedes Swallowtail
  • Parasa chlorisSmaller Parasa, Green Slug Moth
  • Phaecasiophora confixanaMacramé Moth
  • Tetracis crocallataYellow Slant-Line
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
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
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. 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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Lauraceae
Hardiness
Zones 7b–9b
Flower color
Yellow
Fruit begins
August
Fruit ends
September
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Lindera melissaefolium

Conservation status

Mississippi rankS2
Global rankG3
MS statusNot verified
Federal statusEndangered (US Fish and Wildlife Service)

Conservation source Global rank source Federal status source: US Fish and Wildlife Service

In your garden

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Sources