Do not hear about spice bush May have some seeds or lemon quince

General Fruit Growing
#1

I do not hear much about spice bush Lindera Benzoin
alos known as appalachian allspice

I may have seeds of both
(sorry no scion wood of lemon quince as I cannot get in trouble gathering)

I have not experimented with it yet
I should this week, and I can post my results with the group

The young leaves, twigs and fruit contain an aromatic essential oil and make a very fragrant tea[55, 62, 95, 102, 149, 183]. The twigs are best gathered when in flower as the nectar adds considerably to the flavour[183]. The dried and powdered fruit is used as a substitute for the spice ‘allspice’[2, 46, 55, 62, 95, 183]. The fruit is about the size of an olive[245]. The leaves can also be used as a spice substitute[55]. The new bark is pleasant to chew[183].

Spice bush has a wide range of uses as a household remedy, especially in the treatment of colds, dysentery and intestinal parasites[222, 238]. It warrants scientific investigation[222]. The bark is aromatic, astringent, diaphoretic, febrifuge, stimulant and tonic[61, 149, 227, 257]. It is pleasant to chew[227]. It is used in the treatment of coughs and colds[257]. The bark can be harvested at any time of the year and is used fresh or dried[238]. The fruits are carminative[222]. The oil from the fruits has been used in the treatment of bruises and rheumatism[222]. A tea made from the twigs was a household remedy for colds, fevers, worms and colic[222]. A steam bath of the twigs is used to cause perspiration in order to ease aches and pains in the body[257]. The young shoots are harvested during the spring and can be used fresh or dried[238]. The bark is diaphoretic and vermifuge. It was once widely used as a treatment for typhoid fevers and other forms of fevers[213, 222].

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The leaves contain small quantities of camphor and can be used as an insect repellent and disinfectant[169]. An oil with a lavender-like fragrance is obtained from the leaves[245]. The fruit, upon distillation, yield a spice-scented oil resembling camphor[245]. An oil smelling of wintergreen is obtained from the twigs and bark[245].

----------------------( Quote from Here )
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Lindera+benzoin

(opps Almost put Linderia
(no not Stink Horn Mushroom bad smell
that’s is to make good feeling for woman.
mushroom group says)

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#2

Forgot Lemon Quince Tastes like Lemonade
you have to add Sugar easy to dry in a toaster oven also
since it is drier than lemon, and doesn’t oxidize as easy

I’m Zone 5 ( -20 F )
may not be true Lemon Quince (it is a true Cydonia species though )
as Mortun (salt) arboretum Doesn’t list it ,
but could be as they mention flowering types , and this fruit is large.

Some nursery Mentions it in Michigan , but they are seed growers , and selected it,
their bush is tiny (maybe it was pseudo cydonia
( or known as Japanese Quince a different genus ,
and only gets 1 to 5 feet tall or so, and more bushy)

#3

Not certain Could it be
Champion.
The ‘Champion’ cultivar is well known among quince enthusiasts for a delicate and lemon-like flavor. The fruit is pear-shaped and has a fuzzy golden skin. It produces fruit later in the fall.

(I could be wrong Mine doesn’t have much of a fuzzy Golden skin) maybe will post picture
just bought a new Camera

(EDIT)
I will look into it only thing popping up is Limon ayvasi
I have to go, but will share dried samples if needed.

#4

I love spicebush! I’ve been growing some for a few years now. Very easy to grow. They grow quickly and develop a nice mass of fibrous roots. They are a nice looking shrub and are great for attracting various animals, especially Spicebush Swallowtail butterflies. Here’s a pic of a Spicebush Swallowtail caterpillar on one of my potted spicebush.

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#5

This caterpiller could be in one of Disney’s character movie!

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#6

They do have quite a charming look to them! Here’s a photo compilation I just put together showing the different phases, or instars, that each caterpillar goes through before pupating. The color changes are quite dramatic. Note the second phase where the caterpillars imitate bird droppings as camouflage and the last phases when they imitate snakes.

spicebushswallowtailphases
spicebushswallowtailphases1920×1080 1.08 MB

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#7

Nice Photos

How long does it take for the berries to delvelop from a seedling
Do you make tea with the leaves ? or cook with it.

(not Spice bush , but I can also report back about tea from tooth ache tree leaves
(or also known as prickly ash It is in the citrus family perhaps I should just see if there is a tea thread,been reading here for a while, and think I saw one, but may mistaken it for another forum.
Those Berries of prickly ash Numbs your mouth so it would be interesting to see how the tea is)

Dried spice bush berries taste good, but haven’t looked up a recipe to use them yet.
(edit I lost My spice bush leaves while forging to mold I believe left sitting in backpack with seeds.)

#8

Mine have started producing flower buds after their second growing season, so in the 3rd year the female plants can have berries.
I’ve tried making a tea with the leaves once and it was ok but I didn’t think it tasted that good. I’m not a fan of tea, though, so my opinion doesn’t mean much here lol. I should try it again with the twigs instead, since I like the smell better from those. I’ve eaten the berries before and don’t really care for them but I haven’t really tried experimenting with different ways to use them.
The fruit and seeds do get black and moldy quickly, even in the fridge, due to the high fat content, so they need to be used soon after picking and seeds should be cleaned off if they are being stored over winter.

#9

Just be sure you keep spicebush in check. As with many other growing things, someone is trying to get it to grow, while someone else is fighting it. I’m in the latter category, have killed hundreds of them. Along creekbanks and edge-of-forest spots they tend to take over. Around here at least…

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#10

Are those Just on edge of forest spots or do they also grow in open fields aggressively.

By the way Anyone want to try the taste or use it

Anyone can can try some berries here if you decide they want to grow them
(Chris is nice too the founder of pawpaw fest You can get Pawpaw pulp there also)
I do know the quality of the berries, and they taste good
I do not know the quality of the pawpaw fruit as mine de thawed , and fermented because I was traveling.
https://integrationacres.com/products/appalachian-allspice-p-42.html

TEA Leaves Dried
https://integrationacres.com/products/preserved-packaged-products-c-22.html

The Jelly they sell has a Mulled cider taste to it
I am not crazy over it
it uses Spice bush in it.

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#11

The wild/native ones around here at least… Grow just about anywhere. I wonder if they produce something to inhibit growth of other plants? I say that because of a warning I remember an uncle telling someone ~20 years ago. That if they didn’t clear them out of an area that had become overrun with them, there would be nothing else growing there soon. Some years later I remember looking at that spot and sure enough, spicebush was predominant, most everything else dead and gone. Everything that you might desire to grow there at least, there were still tons of weeds present…

For a well manicured lawn, growing some as ornamentals, probably zero to worry about. Other than that though, just be warned that you might go from having 1 to having 100 in short order. A ton of factors play into that I’m sure though… Like whether or not the local bird population has plenty of other seeds to eat and spread around…

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#12

Thank you so very much Always want to know How Aggressive a plant can be
Maybe if I ever do get a nice piece of land keep those off in the woods someplace
away from My place.

Stag Horn Sumac (Rhus) is like that, but only in clearings , makes good sumac Lemonade though
if it doesn’t rain the hairs off the hard berries (even like it bitter made with hot water)

I just noticed the link I posted also sells dry leaves (mine went bad traveling.)

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#13

I’m sure it varies based on location. They aren’t that common here except along the rivers and even there they don’t seem to spread so easily. The problematic shrubs we have are autumn olive, multiflora rose, and asian bush honeysuckle. Some areas of my property are impenetrable thickets of those invasives. I know in some places autumn olive aren’t a problem and people actually buy and plant them in their yards, but here they spread and grow more aggressively than any other woody plant.

#14

You get Buckthorn it’s bad here
100 tree’s in a 3 feet space (saplings )
(we get Honey suckle bad)
Not here, but do you get Privet (bush)

what about Garlic Mustard It is like a mono culture of it here in the mid west
I heard the roots make good Ice cream
Dames rocket is bad (purple flowers) ,
but I do not have much experience with it at home.

Sadly the Forest preserve cuts down natives
Guess They like cookie cutter in the middle of the woods
Do not like wild grapes (native Vitis riparia Mulberries etc.)

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#15

We have buckthorn as well, but it’s not too bad here. Not as aggressive as the other shrubs I mentioned.
Garlic mustard is getting pretty bad here. Spreads so easily and can show up anywhere.
I mostly just see dames rocket along creeks or wet areas. The flowers are quite tasty.
Yeah, it’s sad to see native trees get cut down when there are others, like Ailanthus, that aren’t bothered with.

#16

Yeah Someone has to manage the forest right

They wait till the berries ripen than cut them down
(of buckthorn Honeysuckle )

If you cut Sumac at the wrong time it actually sends out root suckers
I do not have time to look into it right now
(and a yahoo group with over 10000 users is no longer available for me to look up my old posts
Organic , homesteading Gardening (ran by Backwater Jon (@yahoo)

#17

Absolutely… And I didn’t mean to imply that spicebush is the worst thing ever. It just is something that can tend to get out of hand if left to it’s own devices. As to those other more aggressive plants, I can agree with all of those for certain. They’re all nuisances here, as well as wild blackberry.

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#18

Have you cooked with it
I’ve had it in brought jelly (pawpaw)

just wondering .

I found My packaged berries soiled in a bag traveling
I have some I picked (for sprouting ) Will have to see , but the poiunt of those where to groiw not eat .

Anyways unfortunatally I said I would give a report of Toothache tree leaves (citrus family)the leaves are no good now
I had those dried already, but , transported them from a friends house with hawthorns I think , and the moisture of the berry ruined them. , after leaving them.

A good berry people people do not seem to use is Black haw, & nanny Berry too
it is a viburnum (like cranberry, and blueberry are>)

taste like hackberry except ithout the big seed exactly like it too me.

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#19

How would you describe the flavour compared to cranberry. I am unfamiliar with hackberry

#20

Hackberry, nannyberry, and wild raisin taste somewhat date like. The pulp to put ratio is pretty low on all the examples of all of these that I’ve encountered, so it’s more of a novelty than s serious food item. Crans and blues are Vaccinium, not Viburnum.

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