Lindera obtusiloba

Lindera obtusiloba, the blunt-lobed spice bush,^[1] is a species of flowering plant in the laurel family Lauraceae, native to China, Korea and Japan. It is a spreading deciduous shrub or small tree growing to 6 m (20 ft) tall and wide, with glossy aromatic leaves and deep yellow flowers which appear in spring before the leaves.^[1] Juvenile leaves are lobed (as the name suggests) and are deep purple. The leaves often turn yellow in autumn.

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  Closeup of trunks

Japanese spicebush
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Magnoliids
Order:	Laurales
Family:	Lauraceae
Genus:	Lindera
Species:	L. obtusiloba
Binomial name
Lindera obtusiloba Blume

This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.^[2][3]

Uses

A Lindera obtusiloba water extract inhibited mast-cell-derived allergic inflammation in vitro and vivo, suggesting it may have possible uses in allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis, asthma and atopic dermatitis.^[4]

The plant contains the anti-histamine compound koaburaside and also a source of valuable obtusilic acid.