Star Aniseed

Star Aniseed

Star Aniseed
This plant does not occur in India. But because of its Asian origin, and traditional interaction with China since ancient period, Indians know the use of this spice up to limited extent. The plant is an evergreen tree attaining a height of 8 to 15 meter and a diameter of about 25 cm. Leaves entire, 10 to 15 cm long and 2.5 to 5 cm broad, elliptic to oblanceolate; flowers solitary, white or red in color; fruit star shaped, reddish brown, consisting of eight carpels (follicles) arranged in a whorl around a short central column; each follicle 12 to 17 mm long, boat shaped, hard and wrinkled, containing a seed; seeds brown, compressed ovoid, smooth, shiny, brittle.
Description
Star anise, star aniseed, badiane or Chinese star anise, is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavor, obtained from the star-shaped pericarp of Illicium verum, a small native evergreen tree of southwest China.