Lindera benzoin

Early season blooms on a broadly rounded shrub. From a distance, flowers look similar to a Hamamelis (Witchhazel) in bloom. The bloom time is soon after the Witchhazel finishes. Foliage and bark smell spicy when crushed or scraped. The leaves are food for Spicebush Swallowtail larvae. Plants need both male and female for fruit production. Male flowers are more showy than female, but females have brilliant red drupes when planted with a male.