Plant: Orion - Anise

Plant description

Florida anise is an attractive, medium to large evergreen shrub in the starvine family, native to the southeastern United States and northern Mexico, growing 6 to 10 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide with a multistemmed, upright, compact form. Thick, glossy, leathery elliptic leaves are held in pseudo-whorls at the branch tips and smell of anise when bruised, and showy maroon purple flowers up to 2 inches across with many strap-shaped petals open in April and May, followed by star-shaped clusters of dry follicles. Grow it in part to full shade, since the leaves scorch in bright sun, in moist, rich, acid soil high in organic matter; it is not drought tolerant. It suits rain gardens, shady naturalized areas, hedges and mass plantings. All parts are poisonous if eaten.

Flowers

Showy maroon-purple blooms up to 2 inches across with many strap-shaped, ligulate petals nodding on slender pedicels; they are foetid and bloom in April and May.

Foliage

Leaves are alternate, simple and 2 to 6 inches long, glossy dark green above and pale below, held in a pseudo-whorl at the end of the stem, elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, entire and glabrous, thick, with a reddish purple petiole, and smelling of anise when bruised or crushed.

Fruit

A cluster of one-seeded dehiscent follicles arranged in a star-shaped whorl, green to yellow to brown, less than an inch across, with brown shiny seeds.

Bark & stems

Stems are stout, shiny and gray-brown, dotted with small conspicuous lenticels, with green solid pith.

Light

Dappled/Filtered Light, Deep Shade

Pruning

It spreads by root suckers, which may be cut away as needed.

Native range

Southeastern U.S.A., Mexico

Plant details