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Illicium anisatum
Also called Aniseedtree, Sacred Anisetree, Aniseed Tree
Japanese star anise is an evergreen shrub or small tree from East Asia, grown mainly for its sacred foliage and fragrant leaves rather than its fruit, which is highly toxic. It is widely planted in gardens in mild climates and is best grown in partial shade in moist, well-drained soil.
Illicium anisatum, with common names Japanese star anise, aniseed tree, and sacred anise tree, known in Japanese as shikimi (樒; シキミ), is an evergreen shrub or small tree closely related to the Chinese star anise (Illicium verum). Since it is highly toxic, the fruit is not edible; instead, the dried and powdered leaves are burned as incense in Japan. Its branches and evergreen leaves are considered highly sacred by Japanese Buddhists due to insects' aversion to them and their ability to remain fresh after pruning.
The sacred anise tree is native to parts of east Asia including Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. It normally grows between 6–15 feet (1.8–4.6 m) with leaves that are simple, arranged alternately and oval in shape and about 1 to 3 in (2.5 to 7.6 cm)in length. Its cream or white colored flowers have numerous petals and are clustered around the leaf axils.
Japanese star anise contains anisatin, shikimin, and shikimitoxin, which cause severe inflammation of the kidneys, urinary tract, and digestive organs. Other compounds present in toxic species of Illicium are safrole and eugenol, which are not present in the edible Chinese star anise and are used to identify its toxicity. Shikimic acid, a substance also present in Japanese star anise, is so-called after the plant's Japanese name.
Due to its morphological similarities, it is impossible to distinguish Chinese and Japanese star anise in dried or processed form by their appearance only, and can only be unequivocally determined by using botanical microscopy. This process must be done before the plants have been made into tea and dried out.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Illicium anisatum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
