Description
Star anise (scientific name: Illicium verum Hook. f.), is a plant of the octagon family and the genus Illicium.
Trees, tower-shaped crown, oval or conical; dark gray bark; dense branches. The leaves are irregular and alternate, obovate-elliptic, oblanceolate or elliptical; the corrugated fruit blooms from March to May, the fruit matures from September to October, the spring brown fruit blooms from August to October, and the fruit from March to April the following year Ripe; flowers pink to deep red, solitary leaf axils or near terminal; fruit stalks are 20-56 mm long, aggregate fruit is plump and straight, mostly 8 follicles, octagonal.
Star anise is a famous seasoning spice and is also used for medicinal purposes. Peel, seeds, and leaves all contain aromatic oils, which are important raw materials for the manufacture of cosmetics, sweet wine, beer and food industries.
