ADDISONIA 15 
(Plate 168) 
BENZOIN AESTIVALE 
Spice-bush 
Native of northeastern United States and Ontario 
Family LAURACEAE LAUREL Family 
Laurus aestivalis I,. Sp. Pl. 370. 1753. 
Benzoin aestivale Nees, Syst. Laur. 405. 
Benzoin Benzoin Coulter, Mem. Torrey Oak - 164. 1894, 
In moist woods and thickets and along streams the spice-bush 
is at home. In such surroundings, late in March or early in April 
in the vicinity of New York city, this shrub will be found covered 
with bright yellow blossoms. ‘They come in advance of the foliage, 
and while not conspicuous as individuals, in their multitude they 
give a glimmer of gold to the landscape, and assume a prominence 
which would not be theirs did they come later, when foliage and 
flowers of more decorative mien would dwarf them by comparison. 
It is one of the harbingers of spring, and tells us of the near demise 
of winter; and anything which then gives us an uplift and a vision 
of flowers to come is welcome. Later come the leaves, which, like 
the bark, have a spicy fragrance (hence the derivation of the name), 
followed in August or September by the bright red fruit. The 
spice-bush is also known as spice-wood, Berjassa-pesh, fever-bush, 
and wild allspice. 
The natural habitat, a wet situation, will indicate the chief use- 
fulness of this plant in cultivation, although it will grow in much 
drier situations. It is very effective in low woodlands or along 
streams, and is of special adaptation to the water garden. A piece 
of low swamp land may be much beautified by the introduction of 
this shrub and its natural associates. One of these is a plant with 
striking foliage, its early leaves of a bright crisp green, with the 
feeling of spring in its color; this is the skunk cabbage, a plant 
despised on account of its name. This, however, does not destroy 
its usefulness and effectiveness as a decorative plant of bold foliage 
and habit. Another associate of the spice-bush in its wild state 
is the marsh marigold, Caltha palustris. ‘These three give beauty 
and brightness to a landscape, otherwise bleak and bare. The 
spice-bush is of frequent occurrence wild in the grounds of the New 
York Botanical Garden, and the accompanying illustration was 
prepared from such a plant. 
