Illicium verum

Illicium verum
Illicium verum at the United States National Arboretum
Star anise fruits and seeds
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Order: Austrobaileyales
Family: Schisandraceae
Genus: Illicium
Species:
I. verum
Binomial name
Illicium verum
Synonyms[1]
  • Illicium san-ki Perr.

Illicium verum (star anise or badian, Chinese star anise, star anise seed, star aniseed and star of anise) is a medium-sized evergreen tree native to South China and northeast Vietnam. Its star-shaped pericarps harvested just before ripening is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavor. Its primary production country is China, followed by Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.[2] Star anise oil is a highly fragrant oil used in cooking, perfumery, soaps, toothpastes, mouthwashes, and skin creams. Until 2012, when they switched to using genetically modified E. coli, Roche Pharmaceuticals used up to 90% of the world's annual star anise crop to produce oseltamivir (Tamiflu) via shikimic acid.[3]

  1. ^ "The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 3 September 2015.
  2. ^ Zou, Qiyuan; Huang, Yuanyuan; Zhang, Wenyan; Lu, Chen; Yuan, Jingquan (1 November 2023). "A Comprehensive Review of the Pharmacology, Chemistry, Traditional Uses and Quality Control of Star Anise (Illicium verum Hook. F.): An Aromatic Medicinal Plant". Molecules. 28 (21): 7378. doi:10.3390/molecules28217378. ISSN 1420-3049. PMC 10648513. PMID 37959797.
  3. ^ Schönholzer, Fabio (15 March 2018). "Dried Stars". UZH News. Zürich: University of Zurich. Retrieved 21 February 2021.