Loading profile. Please wait . . .
Lindera melissifolia (Walt.) Blume
Pondberry
Federal Protection: Listed Endangered
State Protection: Endangered
Global Rank: G3
State Rank: S2
Element Locations Tracked in Biotics: Yes
SWAP 2015 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
SWAP 2025 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN): Yes
2025 SGCN Priority Tier: Highest Conservation Concern
Element Occurrences (EOs) in Georgia: 24
Habitat Summary for element in Georgia: Pond margins and wet savannas
A shrub up to 6 feet (2 meters) tall, forming dense colonies of green or brown stems with yellowish bases. The leaves are 2 - 6 inches long and 1.2 - 2.4 inches wide (8 - 16 cm long and 3 - 6 cm wide), widest at or below the middle, with a rounded base and a sharply pointed tip; alternate, deciduous, drooping, both surfaces of the leaf with conspicuous netted veins and short, soft hairs; leaves smell spicy (like sassafras or root beer) when crushed. Female and male flowers are produced on separate plants, appearing before the leaves, borne in clusters of 2 - 6 flowers, each with 6 pale yellow, petal-like tepals. Fruits are 0.4 inch (1 - 1.2 cm) long, bright red, oval to round, on a stout stalk about 0.4 inch (0.9 - 1.2 cm) long; the stalk persists through the winter after the fruits are dispersed.
Spicebush (Lindera benzoin) is a large shrub up to 15 feet tall (5 meters). Its leaves do not droop and are usually widest above the middle, tapering to a wedge-shaped base; the upper surfaces of the leaves are smooth and dark green, the lower surfaces are paler and hairy with inconspicuous veins; when crushed, its leaves and twigs smell spicy or medicinal. It is common in moist woods and floodplains in north and central Georgia.
Bog Spicebush (Lindera subcoriacea) occurs in central Georgia, in or near the Fall Line Sandhills in shrubby, seepage wetlands and in streamside thickets, usually with sphagnum moss. For more information, see: https://www.georgiabiodiversity.org/portal/profile?group=plants&es_id=19894
Edges of sandhill ponds and limesinks, often occurring with Pondspice (Litsea aestivalis), see https://www.georgiabiodiversity.a2hosted.com/natels/profile?es_id=19918.
Pondberry reproduces sexually and, primarily, vegetatively by the spread of stolons (horizontal, ground-level stems that root at the nodes and tips). Pondberry is dioecious, with female and male flowers on separate plants, and often forms extensive colonies of all-female or all-male plants. Female clones are usually smaller than the male clones and are often absent. Even though female Pondberry plants frequently set abundant fruit, seedlings are rarely seen. Pondberry is a host plant for Spicebush Swallowtail (Papilia troilus), which lays its eggs singly on the lower surface of the leaves; when the eggs hatch, the larval stages (caterpillars) eat the leaves of the Pondberry.
Pondberry is currently at risk of infection by Laurel Wilt disease, a fungal (Raffaelea sp.) infection that kills trees and shrubs in the laurel family. The fungus is carried by an exotic insect, the Red Bay Ambrosia Beetle (Xyleborus glabratus), and blocks water-conducting cells of infected plants, resulting in wilted leaves and, quickly and ultimately, death. Laurel Wilt has spread quickly along the southeastern coast and caused extensive mortality among Red Bay (Persea spp.). Laurel Wilt is likely to spread inland, infecting and killing rare species in the Laurel family, such as Pondberry and Pondspice, and common species, such as Sassafras.
Surveys are best conducted during flowering (late February–mid-March) and fruiting (August–October). Plants may be identified in the winter from colonial growth form, aromatic twigs, and presence of last season’s fruit stalks.
Coastal Plain of Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Missouri, and Arkansas. The species has not been seen in Louisiana and Florida in more than a century.
Ditching, draining, and filling wetlands. Fire suppression. Digging by feral hogs. Infection by Laurel Wilt disease. Habitat destruction and fragmentation that results in all-female or all-male populations and reduced sexual reproduction and genetic diversity. Laurel Wilt Disease.
| Threat 1 | Threat 2 | Threat 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Threat | Invasive & other problematic species, genes & diseases | Natural system modifications | Climate change & severe weather |
| Specific Threat | None | None | None |
Ten populations are extant, only 2 are protected on conservation land. Most of Georgia’s colonies have only male plants.
Allow prescribed fires in uplands to burn into the edges of ponds. Avoid ditching, draining, clearing, and logging in isolated wetlands. Eradicate wild hogs. Use fire or hand-clearing to create canopy gaps and admit more light to the understory. Transplant unrelated individuals of different sexes into existing populations to increase reproductive success and genetic diversity. Research treatment and prevention of Laurel Wilt Disease.
Aleric, K.A. and L.K. Kirkman. 2005. Growth and photosynthetic responses of the federally endangered shrub, Lindera melissifolia (Lauraceae), to varied light environments. American Journal of Botany 92(4): 682-689. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/4126199.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fbasic _SYC-5055%252Ftest&refreqid=excelsior%3Abf7e8497c00b4b215415adcdba067490
Beckley, A.C. and J.M. Gramling. 2013. Description and classification of Lindera melissifolia habitat in the southeastern Coastal Plain. Castanea 78(4): 277-289. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/24619719.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fbasic_SYC-5055%252Ftest&refreqid=excelsior%3Ae23abd1b81324c2dab09d852e3983559
Chafin, L.G. 2007. Field guide to the rare plants of Georgia. State Botanical Garden of Georgia and University of Georgia Press, Athens.
DeLay, L., R. O'Connor, J. Ryan, and R.R. Currie. 1993. Pondberry (Lindera melissifolia [Walt.] Blume) recovery plan. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Atlanta, Georgia. https://ecos.fws.gov/docs/recovery_plan/930923a.pdf
Devall, M., N. Schiff, and D. Boyette. 2001. Ecology and reproductive biology of the endangered pondberry, Lindera melissifolia (Walt.) Blume. Natural Areas Journal 21(3): 250-258. https://www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/2750
GADNR. 2020. Element occurrence records for Lindera melissifolia. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division, Social Circle, Georgia.
Godt, M.J.W. and J.L. Hamrick. 1996. Allozyme diversity in the endangered shrub, Lindera melissifolia (Lauraceae) and its widespread congener Lindera benzoin. Canadian Journal of Forest Research 26 (12): 2080-87. https://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/pdf/10.1139/x26-236
Gramling, J.M. 2010. Potential effects of laurel wilt on the flora of North America. Southeastern Naturalist 9(4): 827-836.
Gustafson, D.J., A.P. Giunta, Jr. and C.S. Echt. 2013. Extensive clonal growth and biased sex ratios of an endangered dioecious shrub, Lindera melissifolia (Walt) Blume (Lauraceae). Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society 140(2): 133-144. https://www.jstor.org/stable/43286994?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
Lockhart, B.R., E.S. Gardiner, T.D. Leininger, P.B. Hamel, K.F. Connor, M.S. Devall, N.M. Schiff, A. D. Wilson. 2013. Lindera melissifolia responses to flood durations and light regimes suggest strategies for recovery and conservation. Plant Ecology 214: 893-905. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23500344?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
NatureServe. 2019. Lindera melissifolia comprehensive report. NatureServe Explorer. Arlington, Virginia. http://explorer.natureserve.org/servlet/NatureServe?searchName=Lindera+melissifolia
Patrick, T.S., J.R. Allison, and G.A. Krakow. 1995. Protected plants of Georgia. Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Natural Heritage Program, Social Circle.
Smith, C.G., P.B. Hamel, M.S. Devall, and N.M. Schiff. 2004. Hermit thrush is first observed dispersal agent for pondberry (Lindera melissifolia). Castanea 69(1): 1-8. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/4034201.pdf?ab_segments=0%252Fbasic_SYC-5055%252Ftest&refreqid=excelsior%3Ab3c5b50b110bf94ce013ef00fa9ce773
Steyermark, J.A. 1949. Lindera melissaefolia. Rhodora 51(608): 153-162. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23304008?seq=1
Unks, R.R., T.H. Shear, A. Krings, R.R. Braham. 2014. Environmental controls of reproduction and early growth of Lindera melissifolia (Lauraceae). Castanea 79(4): 266-277.
USFWS. Pondberry (Lindera melissifolia) species profile. ECOS: Environmental Conservation Online System, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Washington, D.C. https://ecos.fws.gov/ecp0/profile/speciesProfile?sId=1279
Weakley, A.S. 2015. Flora of the southern and mid-Atlantic States. University of North Carolina Herbarium, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. http://www.herbarium.unc.edu/flora.htm
Wofford, B.E. 1997. Flora of North America, Vol. 3. Oxford University Press, New York. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=233500748
Linda G. Chafin
L. Chafin, May 2007: original account
K. Owers, Feb. 2010: added pictures
L. Chafin, Mar. 2020: updated original account.
