Common Name: Yellow Anise/Ocala Anise
Scientific Name: Illicium parviflorum
Type of Plant: Shrub
Description: Light, yellow-green, elongated oval leaves which produce a licorice-like aroma when crushed. Flowers from May to June, but blooms are insignificant. Fruit is showy, multi-pointed, and star shaped. Multi-trunk structure with a moderate growth rate.
Mature Size: 10-15′ tall x 6-10′ wide.
Blooms: Inconspicuous
Fruit: The seed pods of the Yellow Anise look very similar to the culinary spice, but are not edible.
Climate Requirements: Yellow Anise can be planted in almost any conditions found in central Florida, but it is not particularly salt-tolerant.
Care Requirements:
- The plant will need to be watered more often if grown in full sun, but is moderately drought resistant.
- If allowed to grow on its own, the Yellow Anise will take on a pyramidal shape, but can easily be pruned into formal hedges or limbed up as a small multi-trunked tree.
Spacing: Space plants 48-60″ apart
Water Needs: Average
Maintenance: Low
Special Uses/Attributes: Yellow Anise are well suited for creating borders or as single specimens in smaller landscapes.
Florida Native: Yes