Lindera

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Magnoliids
Ordo: Laurales

Familia: Lauraceae
Tribus: Laureae
Genus: Lindera

Species: L. aggregata – L. akoensis – L. andamanica – L. angustifolia – L. annamensis – L. apoensis – L. assamica – L. balansae – L. benzoin – L. bibracteata – L. bokorensis – L. bootanica – L. caesia – L. caudata – L. chienii – L. chunii – L. citriodora – L. communis – L. concinna – L. cuspidata – L. delicata – L. densiflora – L. doniana – L. erythrocarpa – L. flavinervia – L. floribunda – L. foveolata – L. fragrans – L. glauca – L. gracilipes – L. guangxiensis – L. insignis – L. kariensis – L. kinabaluensis – L. kochummenii – L. kwangtungensis – L. latifolia – L. laureola – L. limprichtii – L. longipedunculata – L. lucida – L. lungshengensis – L. macrophylla – L. malaccensis – L. megaphylla – L. meissneri – L. melastomacea – . melissifolia – L. menghaiensis – L. metcalfiana – L. montana – L. montanoides – L. motuoensis – L. myrrha – L. nacusua – L. neesiana – L. novoguineensis – L. obtusiloba – L. pedicellata – L. pentantha – L. pilosa – L. pipericarpa – L. polyantha – L. praecox – L. prattii – L. pulcherrima – L. queenslandica – L. racemiflora – L. racemosa – L. reflexa – L. reticulata – L. robusta – L. rubronervia – L. rufa – L. salicifolia – L. sanjappae – L. sericea – L. setchuenensis – L. spicata – L. spirei – L. subcoriacea – L. supracostata – L. thomsonii – L. tienchuanensis – L. tonkinensis – L. triloba – L. turfosa – L. umbellata – L. varmae – L. velutina – L. villipes – L. wardii – L. wrayi
Source(s) of checklist:

Govaerts, R. et al. 2022. Lindera in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2022 June 18. Reference page.

Paleospecies: †L. clarnensis
Name

Lindera Thunb. Nov. Gen. Pl. 3: 64. (1783) nom. cons.

Type species: Lindera umbellata Thunb. Fl. Jap. 145, pl. 21. (1784)

Synonyms

Aperula Blume, Mus. Bot. Lugd. Bat. 1: 365 (1851)
Benzoin Schaeff., Bot. Exped. 60 (1760)
Calosmon J.Presl, Rostl. 2: 71 (1825)
Daphnidium Nees, Wall. Pl. As. Rar. 2: 61, 63 (1831), & Laurin. Expos. 19 (1833)
Euosmus Nutt., Gen. Am. 1: 258 (1818)
Evelyna Raf., Sylva Tellur. 164 (1838)
Evosmus Raf., Sylva Tellur. 133 (1838)
Iteadaphne Blume, Mus. bot. 1: 365 (1851)
Ozanthes Raf., Sylva Tellur. 133 (1838)
Polyadenia Nees, Laurin. Expos. 18 (1833)
Parabenzoin Nakai, Bull. Soc. Bot. France, 71: 1177, 1180 (1924)(1925)
Sinosassafras H.W.Li, Acta Bot. Yunnan. 7: 134 (1985)

Homonyms

Lindera Adans. = Chaerophyllum L.

References

Thunberg, P. 1783. Nova Genera Plantarum 3: 64.

Additional references

Fijridiyanto, I.A. & Murakami, N. 2009. Phylogeny of Litsea and related genera (Laureae-Lauraceae) based on analysis of rpb2 gene sequences. Journal of Plant Research 122(3): 283–298. DOI: 10.1007/s10265-009-0218-8 Reference page.
Li, J., Christophel, D.C., Conran, J.G. & Li, H.W. 2004. Phylogenetic relationships within the ‘core’ Laureae (Litsea complex, Lauraceae) inferred from sequences of the chloroplast gene matK and nuclear ribosomal DNA ITS regions. Plant Systematics and Evolution 246(1-2): 19–34. DOI: 10.1007/s00606-003-0113-z Full text PDF Reference page.
Manchester, S.R. 1994. Fruits and seeds of the Middle Eocene Nut Beds Flora, Clarno Formation, Oregon. Palaeontographica Americana 58: 1–205.
Ng, F.S.P. 2005. Taxonomic notes on Bornean Litsea, Lindera, Neolitsea and Iteadaphne (Lauraceae). Gardens Bulletin Singapore 57: 217–246. Full text PDF Reference page.
Xiao, T.W., Xu, Y., Jin, L., Liu, T.J., Yan, H.F. & Ge, X.J. 2020. Conflicting phylogenetic signals in plastomes of the tribe Laureae (Lauraceae). PeerJ 8(e10155): 1–23. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10155 Open access Reference page.

Links

Govaerts, R. et al. 2022. Lindera in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2022 June 18. Reference page.
Hassler, M. 2022. Lindera. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2022. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2022 June 18. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2022. Lindera. Published online. Accessed: June 18 2022.
Tropicos.org 2016. Lindera. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published online. Accessed: 25 Sept. 2016.

Vernacular names
日本語: クロモジ属

Lindera is a genus of about 80–100[1] species of flowering plants in the family Lauraceae, mostly native to eastern Asia but with three species in eastern North America.[1][2] The species are shrubs and small trees;[2] common names include spicewood, spicebush, and Benjamin bush.

Name

The Latin name Lindera commemorates the Swedish botanist Johan Linder (1676-1724).[3]
Description
Lindera umbellata

Lindera are evergreen or deciduous trees or shrubs.[2] The leaves are alternate, entire or three-lobed, and strongly spicy-aromatic. Lindera are dioecious, with male and female flowers on separate trees. The inflorescences are composed of 3 to 15 small flowers existing as pseudo-umbels. They are sessile or on short shoots. The flowers are from greenish to white, greenish-yellow, or yellowish, with six tepals arranged in a star shape.[2] The male flowers have 9 to 15 fertile stamens; the innermost circle of stamens can be found at the base of the stamen glands. Usually the stamens are longer than the anthers, which in turn consist of two chambers and are directed inwards or sideways. The vestigial ovary is negligible or absent. The base of the flower is small and flat. The female flowers have a varying number of staminodes. Pollination is done by bees and other insects. Lindera fruit have a hypocarpium at the base of the fruit, which in some cases forms a cup that encloses the bottom part of the fruit.[2] The fruit is a small red, purple or black drupe containing a single seed, dispersed mostly by birds. Many species reproduce vegetatively by stolons.
Ecology

The genus appears to be able to occupy widely different habitats as long as its requirements for water are met. Habitat fragmentation severely affects dioecious species like Lindera melissifolia (pondberry), because populations with plants of a single sex can only vegetatively reproduce. With significant habitat loss, plants become ever more isolated, lessening the likelihood that pollinators will travel from male to female plants.

Most are found on the bottoms and edges of shallow seasonal ponds in old dune fields, but in drier areas they occur in low riverine habitat. Most Lindera colonies occur in light shade beneath a forest canopy, but a few grow in almost full sunlight. In warmer areas they occur in bottomland hardwood forests.

The North American species of Lindera are relicts that originally were more common when the climate of North America was more humid and they are not so widespread geographically as in the past.

The hermit thrush has been identified as a dispersal agent of seeds of L. melissifolia.[4]

Lindera species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including the engrailed and the spicebush swallowtail.
Selected species

Lindera aggregata
Lindera akoensis
Lindera angustifolia
Lindera benzoin - common spicebush, Benjamin bush
Lindera chienii
Lindera chunii
Lindera citriodora
Lindera communis
Lindera doniana
Lindera erythrocarpa
Lindera flavinervia
Lindera floribunda
Lindera foveolata
Lindera fragrans
Lindera glauca
Lindera gracilipes
Lindera guangxiensis
Lindera kariensis
Lindera kwangtungensis
Lindera latifolia
Lindera limprichtii
Lindera longipedunculata
Lindera lungshengensis
Lindera megaphylla
Lindera melissifolia - southern spicebush

Lindera metcalfiana
Lindera monghaiensis
Lindera motuoensis
Lindera nacusua
Lindera neesiana
Lindera obtusiloba
Lindera praecox
Lindera prattii
Lindera pulcherrima
Lindera reflexa
Lindera reticulosa
Lindera robusta
Lindera rubronervia
Lindera setchuenensis
Lindera strychnifolia
Lindera subcoriacea - bog spicebush
Lindera supracostata
Lindera thomsonii
Lindera tienchuanensis
Lindera tonkinensis
Lindera triloba
Lindera umbellata
Lindera villipes
Lindera wrayi

Uses

The bark, twigs, and leaves of some species can be used to make tea. The berries have also sometimes been used. The young bark can be chewed to parch thirst.[5]
References

1. Lindera Thunberg, Flora of North America
5. Lindera Thunberg, Flora of China
Coombes, Allen J. (2012). The A to Z of plant names. USA: Timber Press. ISBN 978-1-60469-196-2.
Smith, Carl G., III; Hamel, Paul B.; Devall, Margaret S.; Schiff, Natan M. 2004. Hermit thrush is the first observed dispersal agent for pondberry (Lindera melissifolia). Castanea 69(1):1-8.
Angier, Bradford (1974). Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants. Harrisburg, PA: Stackpole Books. p. 210. ISBN 0-8117-0616-8. OCLC 799792.