Lindera angustifolia

The Oriental spicebush is in the laurel or Lauraceae family and is native to China and Korea. It is a shrub or small tree reaching up to 8 m tall.

Leaves are processed for their aromatic oil, while oil from seeds is used for making soap and machine oil.

• Leaves are deciduous, alternate, leaf blade elliptic-lanceolate, 6–14 cm long and 1.5–3.5 cm across, with 8–10 pairs of lateral veins, leaves glossy green above, with silvery undersides; leaves turn showy shades of orange-yellow-red in the fall and remain on the shrub over winter, some persisting until early spring, providing additional interest.
• Plant is dioecious, (males and females on separate plants); male umbel is 3–4-flowered, female umbel 2–7-flowered, flowers yellow or greenish-yellow, showing in March-April.
• Fruit is globose, black, 8 mm in diameter, ripening in September-October.
• Young branchlets are yellow-green, glabrous; winter buds are purple-brown, ovate; bud scales are keeled, glabrous.