Pondberry or Southern Spicebush is a small deciduous, native shrub that belongs to the Laurel family. The shrub's native habitat is typically pond margins, swampy depressions, seasonally flooded wetlands, poorly drained sandy areas, and pinelands. The Pondberry may be found in the North Carolina Coastal Plains in the counties of Bladen, Cumberland, and Sampson. Land clearing, drainage of wetlands, and timber harvesting have lead to this shrub's placement on the endangered species list since 1986. The Pondberry is a colony-forming shrub and forms pale yellow blooms from March to April prior to its leaves emerging. Female and male flowers are produced on separate plants. Often the shrub forms colonies of all female or all male plants. Red fruits called drupes develop on the female plants and mature by late summer and fall. The shrub may reproduce by rhizomes or by seeds. The seeds are viable for only a short time. Unfortunately, there has been a lack of seedling establishment which has further endangered this species. The dark green leaves and young stems are hairy, and there is an aroma of sassafras especially when fresh leaves are crushed. Use this plant in native pollinator shady gardens around ponds, bogs, swamps or seasonally flooded areas. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: This plant is susceptible to laurel wilt which is a fungal infection transmitted by the Red Bay Ambrosia Beetle.
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.
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Soil texture
Loam (Silt); Sand
Soil drainage
Frequent Standing Water | Moist | Occasionally Wet
NC region
Coastal
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Dense; Erect
Foliage
Deciduous
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Alternate
Leaf shape
Elliptical
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Soft
Leaf value
Fragrant
Leaf size
3-6 inches long, 1-3 inches wide
Hairs present
Yes
Leaf detail
The Pondberry leaves smell like sassafras or root beer when crushed. The leaves are thin, simple, alternate, drooping, dark green, and have toothless margins. They appear oval and then taper to a sharp pointed tip. They measure 2 to 6 inches long and 1.2 to 2.4 inches wide. They are widest at the middle or just below the middle of the leaf. There are netted veins on both sides of the leaf, but the soft slightly hair surface is only on the undersides.
Fall color
Gold/Yellow
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower value
Fragrant
Flower form
Raceme
Flower shape
Saucer; Star
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
The flowers appear in March and April before the leaves emerge. The flower is pale to bright yellow, fragrant, 0.25 inches wide, and they appear in clusters of 4-6 flowers. There are separate male and female shrubs. Flowers lack petals and have bright yellow tepals. Staminate flowers have 2 whorls of tepals and 9-12 stamens. Pistillate flowers have one whorl of tepals and an inner whorl of scales that produce nectar. The Pondberry flowers tend to appear in the second or fourth year of the growth of the shrub.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit color
Red/Burgundy
Fruit type
Drupe
Fruit size
< 1 inch long, < 1 inch wide
Fruit detail
The fruits are bright red, spicy, oval to round, and measure 0.25 to 0.5 inches long. They appear only on the female plants. The fruit typically matures in late summer to fall and often remain on the plant until the leaves have fallen. Each fruit produces one seed. The seeds are dispersed by wildlife either birds or mammals. They can germinate the following spring.
Bark color
Dark Brown; Dark Gray
Bark detail
The bark is dark brown to dark gray. It is aromatic when bruised.
Stem color
Brown/Copper; Gray/Silver; Red/Burgundy
Stem detail
The stems are narrow, reddish-brown to gray. Initially, the surface is hairy and later appears smooth.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
USA
Distribution
Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina
Wildlife value
Pollinated by insects, flies, wasps, and bees. Spicebush Swallowtail Butterfly larvae feed on the leaves. Leafcutter bees cut sections of the leaf margins ultimately removing most of the leaf. Berries are eaten by birds such as cardinals and thrashers. The swamp rabbit eats the stems and leaves.
Attracts
Bees; Butterflies; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall; Summer
Fruit type
Drupe
Edibility
When Pondberry was more prevalent, its twigs were sometimes brewed to make tea, and people drank the tea as a spring tonic.