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Trees

Lindera aggregata

clustered spice bush

Small evergreen tree rare in cultivation, about 5m tall, with poplar-like leaves, glossy green above and glaucous below, covered with golden silky hairs when young. Fragrant, yellow flowers in early spring, in clusters about 1 cm across. Black fruit follow in autumn on female plants, if pollinated by a male plant

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Ultimate height

4–8 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

4–8 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Lauraceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Bushy, Spreading branched
Genus: Lindera can be deciduous or evergreen trees or shrubs with aromatic leaves and small star-shaped dioecious flowers in axillary umbels in spring followed, on pollinated female plants, by glossy berries
Name status: Correct
Plant range: China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Philippines

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in fertile, moist but well-drained acid soil in partial shade

Propagation

Propagate from seed (tree/shrub) in autumn or by greenwood cuttings in early summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Hedging and screens

Pruning

Pruning group 1

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

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