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Pondspice

Litsea aestivalis

Found in margins of limesink ponds and Carolina bays, less commonly in wet depressions and wet stringers dominated by shrubs. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

21
Good

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 88%

Height
Up to about 10 feet
Light
Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist
Will it fit your yard?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. 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
May to June

Not yet recorded · Spread

Recorded in 4 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

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.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 106 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

2CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Litsea

  • Papilio palamedesPalamedes Swallowtail
  • Papilio troilusSpicebush Swallowtail
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Lauraceae
Hardiness
Zones 8a–9b
Flower color
Yellow
Fruit begins
May
Fruit ends
June
Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

Virginia rankS1
Global rankG3?
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

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How to check your spot

Sources