spicebush

American  

[spahys-boosh] / ˈspaɪsˌbʊʃ /

noun

1. Also called spice-wood.  a yellow-flowered, North American shrub, Lindera benzoin, of the laurel family, whose bark and leaves have a spicy odor.

2. a North American shrub, Calycanthus occidentalis, having oblong leaves and fragrant, light-brown flowers.

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spicebush British  

/ ˈspaɪsˌbʊʃ /

noun

1. a North American lauraceous shrub, Lindera benzoin, having yellow flowers and aromatic leaves and bark

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Etymology

Origin of spicebush

An Americanism dating back to 1760–70; spice + bush ¹

Example Sentences

Prospect Park in May is a commotion of beauty: meadows and dense rambles, hills and hollows, everything covered in chokeberries, spicebush, violets, flowering hawthorns, magnolias and lindens.

From New York Times

I see lesser celandine choking the wildflowers, and winged euonymus and Japanese honeysuckle crowding out native spicebush.

From Washington Post

Laurel wilt is transmitted by the wood-boring redbay ambrosia beetle and can affect a range of plants, including sassafras and spicebush.

From Washington Times

It can affect a range of plants, including sassafras and spicebush.

From Washington Times

He also infuses a New American style dry gin with local spicebush, sometimes called Appalachian allspice, among other botanicals.

From New York Times