About Illicium parviflorum Michx.
This species, Illicium parviflorum Michx., is an evergreen shrub or tree that reaches up to 7 meters in height, and sometimes grows multiple trunks. Its wood, foliage, and flowers are fragrant, with a scent similar to licorice. Its leaves are alternately arranged, with leathery oval blades up to 15 centimeters long. The upper leaf surface is dark and shiny green, while the underside is paler and glandular. Its flowers are roughly 1 centimeter wide, with 11 to 14 yellow-green tepals and multiple stamens and pistils. The fruit is a star-shaped aggregate of up to 13 follicles; each follicle releases one shiny brown seed when it splits open at maturity. This plant is hardy in USDA zones 6 through 9 in the United States. In the wild, Illicium parviflorum grows in moist soil across several habitat types, including floodplains, hammocks, and areas near swamps and waterways. Common plant associates growing alongside it include Atlantic white cypress (Chamaecyparis thyoides), Florida hobblebush (Agarista populifolia), common palmetto (Sabal palmetto), bush palmetto (Sabal minor), needle palm (Rhapidophyllum hystrix), sweetbay (Magnolia virginiana), and swampbay (Persea palustris). This plant is cultivated as an ornamental, valued for its fragrance and attractive appearance even though its flowers are not very showy. It can be pruned and shaped into hedges and windbreaks. Because its roots regularly produce new shoots, and branches can root when they touch the soil, the plant can grow into a very dense thicket. It is considered easy to grow and has few pest problems. When left unmaintained, it can sprawl to up to 4.5 meters wide. If lower branches are removed, it can be shaped into a tree form. It is available commercially at a low cost. Unlike its close relative star anise, this plant is poisonous and cannot be used as a spice.
