Illicium anisatum L.
Family
Illiciaceae
Synonyms
Illicium religiosum Siebold & Zucc.
Vernacular Names
| English | Japanese star anise, star anise. |
| Indonesia | Adas jepang, adas cina. |
| Philippines | Sanke, sanki (Tagalog). |
| French | Anis du Japon. |
Geographical Distributions
Illicium anisatum occurs wild and it is also cultivated in Japan, southern China and Taiwan. It was introduced into Japan a long time ago by Buddhist priests. It does not occur naturally in Southeast Asia.
Description
I. anisatum is an evergreen shrub or small tree that can reach up to 8 m tall. The wood and leaves are highly aromatic.
The leaves are arranged alternately, simple, narrowly ovate to lance-shaped, measuring 4-12 cm x 1.5-5 cm, wedge-shaped at the base, tapering, blunt at the apex, entire and coriaceous. The petiole is 0.7-2 cm long. The stipules are absent.
The flowers are an axillary, sometimes solitary, usually crowded, bisexual, regular, measuring 2.5-3 cm in diametre, with perianth lobes are 12-15(-30), arranged spirally, slender, acute, measure 3 mm wide and pale yellow to white. The pedicel is 0.5-1.5 cm long. The stamens are (16-)18-20(-25) and arranged spirally. The carpels are 7-9(-10) and arranged in a single row.
The fruit is a capsule-like follicetum, measuring 2.5-3 cm in diametre, consisting of an aggregate of 7-8 follicles and arranged around a central axis in the shape of a star. Each follicle is boat-shaped and 1-seeded.
The seed is obovate-ellipsoid, measures 6-7 mm long, smooth, glossy, yellowish and contains copious endosperm.
Ecology / Cultivation
In natural habitat, I. anisatum is found in moist evergreen broad-leaved forest at 1000-2500 m altitudes.
Line Drawing / Photograph
References
- Plant Resources of South-East Asia No. 12(2): Medicinal and poisonous plants 2.
