I’m currently growing Lindera melissifolia. I received the plant as a rooted plant and it grew with pretty much no issues.
I’ve tried rooting cuttings of it and local Lindera benzoin and they will “seem to take” but are SUUUUPER dryness sensitive. If you don’t water everyday they will die immediately.
Uses: so far browsing a few leaves and drying the berries to add to my pepper blend (also has long pepper and alligator pepper in it). As a pepper substitute/additive I like it pretty well.
Yes L benzoin definitely needs moist soil from
My experience.
The leaves smell divine when crushed. Have not tried as a tea yet. The dried berries are addictive as a spice.
Curious as to what everyone’s specific recipes and uses of spicebush. I have a few more specific questions below:
Fruit: Is it ok to air dry or is a dehydrator needed? What is best long term storage of dried fruit? In terms of usage, do you just grind and use as allspice substitute? Any other specific recipes for fruit?
Leaves: I’ve tried using fresh as tea and have some leaves drying. How much per cup do you use and what steeping temp/time?
Branches: I suspect tea is best use of branches? Should these be fresh or dried? Should they be used whole or in small pieces. How much is used per cup and what is ideal steeping time/temp
I’m not so sure this is true. Additional experience shows especially when direct sowing, plants are quite adaptable and maybe even bordering on drought tolerant.
I grew as a nursery plant for resale. We treated them the same as 90% of the plants. Full sun, and ample irrigation. Probably would have enjoyed afternoon shade. From bare root liners. Also at one time grew lindera angustifolia but my supply quit selling it.
They are THE prominent understory plant in our local woods. Shady and moist woods. I can’t think of a more common plant in my woods.
I’ve got three that are a few years old from seed. They haven’t flowered yet so I don’t know which are male or female (hopefully I got at least one of each). Once they’re a little more mature, I’m interested in learning to clone them whether it be by layering or cuttings (whichever ends up working) so that I can make more that are instantly of known gender.
Pics of my xanthocarpic Lindera. A friend named it ‘Lucky’s Gold’, so im going with that for the time being.
Took some cuttings last week in an attempt to propagate it. The ortet is struggling, but a division I dug and transplanted 3 yrs ago is growing well; i have a few seedlings of it growing to plant near it to serve as pollenizers, if any are male.
Some years back, i sent the entire crop of seeds to Guy Sternberg to grow out, but all resulting females produced the typical red fruit, so im presuming that the yellow color is recessive, and, theoretically, all of its seedlings would carry the recessive yellow gene.
@TrilobaTracker - a quick internet search suggested that the Aster Yellows phytoplasma is not generally considered to be a pathogen for Lindera, but there is a Lindera emaravirus that is causing issues.
How well do these grow from seeds, and can you use the leaves as a spice? Spicebush has been on my list of plants to get, but if the leaves are usable, I might try seeds. I have been slowly collecting spice plants, both tropical and temperate, and I think spicebush is next on the list after I try my hand on Carolina Allspice seeds.
I eat Spicebush leaves in early spring when they bud out raw as a trail-side nibble. They can also be made into a tea but I never bothered. I also eat Spicebush flowers in spring, again as a nice trail side nibble.
For me, the main edibility value are the fruits, they are oily & taste good.
The seed is HOT spicy, the thin fruit flesh is not spicy & delicious oily goodness. (Often times both are grinded up into a dry powder cuz it’s too much work to separate into 2 seperate spices).
Really it needs some domestication work, hoping to increase the fruit flesh size, maybe even get it to Avocado size while I’m at it!
I have seeds & would be happy to trade, what’cha got?
For me they grow very very well from seed direct sown. I employ Moist cold stratification from harvest to April or May. Not sure if it’s a strict requirement or not.
I and others have had mixed results starting in pots and transplanting.
I’m 100% about direct sowing.
I only used the ripe, whole, dried, ground fruits as a spice. It’s incredible IMO and shocking that it’s virtually unknown.
Direct sown plants CD in third leaf. Totally neglected. Getting hot late day sun and morning shade:
5th leaf direct sow bushes. At least 8 ft tall. Totally neglected.
Some have extremely large crops (compared to my others and certainly compared to wild, but obviously wild plants are almost always in shade.)
Wow. That’s an impressive fruit load… probably comparable to the difference between a full-sun pawpaw and one growing in dense shade under mature deciduous canopy.
Yeah I was going to post that pic and ask if anyone knows from experience whether that’s typical for full sun.
There are some just a few feet away with lower yield so it could be partially genetic or just better pollination for some reason.
I let 2 seedlings come up in each spot to increase odds of both sexes. So maybe these are “mates” with a virtually intertwined male.
Also to clarify: the xanthocarpic seedlings are maybe 60 feet away and are the only ones so far with the virus. Not saying they are more susceptible, just mentioning.
Blockquote
“Some years back, i sent the entire crop of seeds to Guy Sternberg to grow out, but all resulting females produced the typical red fruit, so im presuming that the yellow color is recessive, and, theoretically, all of its seedlings would carry the recessive yellow gene.”
The lack of red pigments is likely a recessive trait as you found.
If those F1 plants are grown in isolation, then male carriers x female carriers should give 1/4 yellow fruited plants in the next generation!
