Anise is a specialty of my country and is abundant in Guangdong, Guangxi and other places. It is purple-brown in color, octagonal in shape, and star-like in shape. It has a sweet and strong aromatic smell, and the aroma comes from the volatile anisaldehyde in it.

Illicium (scientific name: Illicium verum?Hook.f.) is a plant of the Illicium family and the genus Illicium.

Tree with tower-shaped, oval or conical crown; dark gray bark; dense branches. The leaves are irregular and alternate, obovate-elliptical, oblanceolate or elliptical; the regular fruit blooms from March to May and matures from September to October, and the spring fruit blooms from August to October and bears fruit from March to April of the following year. Ripe; flowers are pink to dark red, solitary in leaf axils or near terminal; fruit stem is 20-56 mm long, aggregated fruit is plump and straight, with mostly 8-shaped follicles in an octagonal shape.

Star anise is a famous spice and is also used for medicinal purposes. The peel, seeds, and leaves all contain aromatic oils, which are important raw materials for the manufacturing of cosmetics, liqueur, beer, and food industries.

The leaves are irregular and alternate, with 3-6 leaves near whorls or loose clusters at the top, leathery, thick leathery, obovate-elliptical, oblanceolate or elliptical, 5-15 long cm, 2-5 cm wide, apex acute or short acuminate, base attenuate or wedge-shaped; densely covered with transparent oil spots visible in the sun; midrib slightly concave above the leaf, raised below; petiole 8-20 mm long.

Reference materials

Baidu Encyclopedia.Baidu Encyclopedia [Citation time 2017-12-22]