Red-Fruit Spicebush is a large, flowering, deciduous, shrub or small tree in the laurel family and native to China, Korea, and Japan. Red-Fruit Spicebush has gray bark, papery greenish-white leaves that turn bright yellow in the fall, and abundant yellow-green male and female flowers. Flowering occurs in late spring to early summer and is followed by fruit from the female plants in the form of ornamental, round, red pomes that mature in October. Grow in average, moist, well-drained soils in sun to partial shade. Red-Fruit Spicebush is a warm-temperate woodland species and does not do well with drought and limy soils. It can be used as a small shade tree, a specimen or shrub borders. The red fruit and yellow leaves in the fall make this a seasonal ornamental. Red-Fruit Spicebush, left to its own devices, can mature to a 16 foot small tree; however, it can be trained to a smaller, single trunk tree. The flowers of the Red-Fruit Spicebush are produced after the foliage expands, making them much less conspicuous. Diseases, Insect Pests, and Other Plant Problems: No known diseases or insect pests.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day) | Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0); Neutral (6.0-8.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist
Available space
24-60 feet
Mature size
Height: 15 ft. 0 in. - 20 ft. 0 in. | Width: 8 ft. 0 in. - 12 ft. 0 in.
Canopy layer
2 - Understory (15-40 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect; Multi-stemmed
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Oblanceolate; Obovate
Leaf feel
Leathery; Papery
Leaf value
Fragrant; Showy
Leaf size
3-6 inches long
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
Alternate, simple, leathery, lustrous dark green leaves; 21/2 to 5 inches long. Undersides have a few silky hairs. Brilliant golden yellow fall color. Leaf bladed are usually oblanceolate, occasionally obovate, papery, and greenish white.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower form
Umbel
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Clusters of small yellow-green flowers in May and June with 6 petals. Male flowers have six, yellow-green tepals pubescent outside, glabrous inside. Female flowers are rather small with six tepals, pubescent inside and out.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Pome
Fruit value
Showy
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
Round red fruits mature in October. Fruits are 0.3 inches in diameter.
Bark color
Light Brown; Light Gray
Stem color
Gold/Yellow; Gray/Silver; White
Stem detail
Young branchlets are usually gray-white or gray-yellow with many lenticellate. Scabrous from corky ridges.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Non-native
Origin
Central and Southern China, Korea, Southern Japan, and Tiawan.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Pome
Uses (ethnobotany)
Like many lindera species it has been used in folk medicine as an anti-inflammatory.
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Small Space
Landscape theme
Asian Garden
Design feature
Accent; Flowering Tree
Garden tags
#deciduous #ornamental shrub #small flowers #flowering tree #red fruits #small tree #yellow leaves #shrub #fall color #flowering shrub #fragrant leaves #showy fruits