In the main producing areas of Guangxi, Illicium verum is an evergreen tree with a height of 10 ~ 18m and a DBH of 30 ~ 40 cm. Its trunk is straight, its branches are few and weak, and its top advantage is obvious. The bark is gray or grayish brown. Leaves alternate, with 3 ~ 5 clusters, elliptic-lanceolate or elliptic-obovate, leathery, entire and shiny leaves. Bisexual flowers, solitary in leaf axils, with 8 ~ 12 petals arranged in 2 ~ 3 rounds, pink or crimson. The fruit is aggregate fruit, which is mostly composed of 8 follicles, arranged radially on the central axis in an octagonal shape; The fruit is1~ 2cm long, 0.3 ~ 0.5cm wide and 0.6 ~ 1 cm high. Fresh fruit is green, dried fruit is brownish red in appearance, with irregular wrinkles, the top is like a bird's beak, and there are cracks on the upper side. The inner surface is light brown, smooth and shiny; Hard and brittle; Fruit has a special aromatic smell, which is hot and sweet. The fruit stalk is about 3 cm long and is connected with the center of the fruit base, which is arc-shaped and often falls off easily. Each fruit contains seeds 1 grain, oblate, about 6 mm long, reddish brown or yellowish brown, shiny, with umbilicus at the top; The endosperm is white and oily. Flowering from July to 1 1. There are two fruit ripening stages every year, March-April and 10. The 1000-grain weight is 100 ~ 1 10g.

Eight angles

According to the color of Illicium verum, combined with the characteristics of branches, leaves, crown, fruit shape and growth, Illicium verum can be divided into four varieties with different colors, *** 16 varieties, namely, four varieties of safflower, pale safflower, white flower and yellow flower. Its varieties are: common safflower, soft branch safflower, thick branch safflower, short branch safflower, large fruit safflower, small fruit safflower, eagle mouth safflower octagonal; Common safflower, soft branch safflower, thick branch safflower, thick leaf safflower octagonal; Common white flowers, soft branch white flowers and star anise and star anise. According to the analysis, the excellent varieties of Illicium verum have some common characteristics, such as narrow crown width, low branches, dense and soft lateral branches, thin leaves, leathery, not hard, medium size and rectangular; Fresh fruit petals are octagonal, medium and large, and each kilogram of fruit is 170 ~ 250. But the crown is large, the branches are high, and the lateral branches are thick and uplift; Leaves sparse or dense, big or thick or small, sharp and hard; Characters such as fewer flowers and fewer fruits, extra large or small fruits, and deformed fruit petals belong to the morphological manifestations of bad varieties.