Stats

Lifespan: Perennial
Size: Medium
Diet: Photosynthetic
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: North America
Movement: Sessile
Breeding: Seeds
Defense: Toxins
Status: Common

About

A native understory shrub whose twigs and leaves release a spicy, citrusy fragrance when crushed, once used by early settlers as an allspice substitute. Its small yellow flowers bloom before the leaves in early spring, making it one of the first splashes of color in eastern woodlands.

Life cycle

1.
seed
A dormant seed waits for water and warmth before germinating.
2.
sprout
A first shoot emerges with cotyledon leaves and a tap root reaching down.
3.
sapling
A young plant grows true leaves and a stem or trunk, putting on height each season.
4.
mature
Fully grown, flowering or fruiting at adult size.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Laurales
Family: Lauraceae
Genus: Lindera
Species: Lindera benzoin