Lindera erythrocarpa

The Oriental spicebush is in the laurel or Lauraceae family and is native to China (provinces of Anhui, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Shaanxi, Shandong, Sichuan and Zhejiang), the Koreas and Japan (Honshu, Kyushu and Shikoku). It is a small tree reaching up to 12 m tall.

• Leaves are deciduous, simple, alternate, 4–17 cm long and 1.5–3.5 cm across, oblong to oblanceolate, papery, upper surface green and glabrous, lower surface glaucous and glabrous, 4–8 lateral veins on each side of the midrib, margins smooth, apex pointed to blunt; petiole is 0.5–1.4 cm long, glabrous.
• Flowers are produced in axillary heads of 10–15 drooping flowers, small, greenish-yellow, at the same time as the appearance of leaves; they are visible in May.
• Fruit is globose [round], appearance red, maturing to scarlet, 7–8 mm across, ripening in late fall.