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Lindera obtusiloba
Lindera obtusiloba (Lauraceae), the Japanese spicebush, has small, fragrant yellow flowers similar to Cornus mas (Cornelian cherry), but its unusual leaves are arguably its most attractive feature.
Normally a sprawling shrub, Lindera obtusiloba can become arborescent, especially in shade. The waxy blue-green leaves vary in shape, from entire to irregularly two- or three-lobed. Emerging bronze-green, they turn a uniform, superb yellow in autumn. Its reddish drupes (cherry-like fruits) are seldom produced in cultivation, as plants are dioecious (separate male and female plants). Japanese spicebush is native to China, Korea and Japan, and is one of nine deciduous Lindera species in the David C. Lam Asian Garden.
