Clethra alnifolia is not spicebush - two common names for it are sweet pepperbush and summersweet.
If you bought it thinking that spicebush swallowtails would lay eggs on it, they won't - it's not even in the right (laurel) family. The flowers of clethra alnifolia have a great, toothpaste-like fragrance - butterflies are supposed to nectar on the flowers, but I can't remember seeing any nectaring on mine - maybe I just missed them.
Sherry

I found out the hard way that butterflies are very species specific on what they will lay eggs on. I bought a pipevine (aristolochia elegans) with the idea that it would host pipevine swallowtails. I was crushed when I discovered it was too toxic for them, but on the bright side, it is an acceptable host for the polydamas (Gold Rim) swallowtail. A nectar plant is better than something they won't even look at for any reason.

Nurseries often have common names on plants that aren't even close to what we butterflyers are hoping the plant is, unfortunately. Best to have the common and genus name of the plant(s) you are looking for when you go plant shopping.

Mechelle

"Best to have the common and genus name of the plant(s) you are looking for when you go plant shopping."

Even better to also have the species name as well, AND know how to ID the plants yourself. Unfortunately, even at nursuries plants are mislabeled with incorrcet common and/or taxonomic names quite often. Another one of those minimum wage "its just a job" places where the uneducated get jobs.

AHEM! Some of us nursery people have our master's degrees.

We are maybe going to take it back... we spent $26 for a plant that wasn't even the right one, but because we were told it was the right one we bought it..

Omg same thing happen to me, I asked for a spice bush and they gave me one, or what I thought was one. It was really a sweet shrub. I didn't know it at the time, i got it from Taylor nursery. Strange!

I would definitely take it back. Dogwooderitternet on ebay has spicebushes very cheap. These are small plants, but very healthy. He has other BF plants as well. You might get several so if you lose one, you'll have some backups.

"AHEM! Some of us nursery people have our master's degrees."

LOL, must be my week to step on ladies toes. No more dances for me this week Sandy. LOL

Just for S&G... What percentage of all nurseries have even one employee with a master's degree in horticulture or botany, let alone all of the employee's working there? Second question, what percentage of all nurseries are "manned" by minumim wage employees that don't know an apple from an orange? Last question... which percentage is higher?

Heheh

Ladobe,

Couldn't resist! I know that most nurseries are manned by people that have very limited knowledge about plants. And, my MA degree is in Education as a Reading Specialist, not horticulture. But, I am able to read. I have learned more this winter than I have since I was in grad school. And, I have lots and lots more to learn. Hope I make it long enough to learn all I need to know! LOL.

As far as dancing goes, never learned how, I've tried and I'm a real toe cruncher myself. I think I'd rather be out scoping out the bugs.

"What percentage of all nurseries have even one employee with a master's degree in horticulture or botany...?"

You always know. I went to Sun Nurseries (a local) for the first time last year. We immediately noticed that the 20-something helping us was really, really knowledgeable. Sure 'nuff, he is a degreed horticulturalist.

Jeff

FYI Spicebush scientific name (I noticed in this entire thread no one bothered to mention it) is Lindera benzoin. Now you can all go armed with the proper info. They also feed on Sassafras albidum (Sassafras), Magnolia virginiana (Sweetbay Magnolia)and Liriodendrum tulipifera (Tulip Tree).
Hope this helps,

lele

Lele, I've read that spicebush swallowtails will use Magnolia virginiana and Lirodendron tulipifera, but I've never found one on either of those trees - I have found tiger swallowtail cats on tulip trees, but I've never found any cats on M. virginiana. The local spicebush swallowtails use sassafras, which is plentiful, and spicebush/Lindera benzoin which isn't - I'm hoping they'll use my new bog spicebushes/L. subcoriacea.
Have you ever found spicebush cats on M. virginiana or L. tulipifera?
Sherry

Hi Sherry,

I have on tulip tree, but have not had property with sweetbay until the place I live now and just moved here so will be looking this year. They can be easy to miss in their rolled leaves during the day time. The tulip tree was next to sassafras and the sass was surely preferred as I found many more on them.

I looked and don't see L. subcoriacea specifically mentioned in any of my host plant books but Lindera as a genus is so they may well feed on it. Will be interesting to note if they do! Let us know. Is it a more shrubby low growing species? Is it a true bog species? If so, I wonder if the cats would be there. Where do you live?

Lindera subcoriacea is a true bog species, Lele. As a matter of fact, that reminds me that I need to call a friend of mine who oversees a local bog - called Sweetbay Bog - privately owned by the Nature Conservancy. She had told me she'd give me a tour. One of the reasons this bog was bought was to preserve bog spicebush/L. subcoriacea, which is a very rare species only known to a few areas of the southeast. Woodlander's in South Carolina just recently started carrying it, so I ordered three bushes - it's a good thing I did, because Woodlander's is probably going out of business, and I'm quite sure nobody else will carry it. My bushes are doing very well in their containers - I keep them damp all the time. They look like regular spicebush, but the leaves are rounder. I assume they stay bushy - maybe I can see for myself if I get the tour. I thought that the leaves might get thick and tough since coriaceous means leathery and tough and not be appealing to butterflies for egg laying, but, so far, they've stayed thin and tender looking. Maybe subcoriaceous means less than tough? :)
I don't have a natural bog on my 5 1/2 acres, so I was thinking about digging one myself, although it wouldn't be a true bog in every sense since the water level wouldn't reach the surface anywhere I'd dig it here. Or I may just plant them in a low, wet area. If I made my own bog, I could add pitcher plants, which would be interesting!
I live in southeast Mississippi in the country/woods just north of Wiggins, halfway between Gulfport and Hattiesburg. I had tremendous damage to my woods during Katrina, and I'm still in the process of cleaning it up and replanting it - the hurricane took its worst toll on the brittle loblolly pines, so I pull up all the loblolly seedlings I find and plant oaks, spruce pine, other wind resistant natives including many that host various butterflies and moths.
Sherry

I don't think asking for "spicebush" is sufficient when seeking any particular plant. It's a name shared with over 100 species in at least four genera. I have even seen Celthra alnifolia referred to as "spicebush" (although not frequently). Here are some species commonly called spicebush:

any of at least three species in the Calycanthus genus
Cneoridium dumosum
any/many of around 100 species in the Lindera genus
Viburnum carlesii