文档介绍：Illicium verum (U. S. P.)
Common Names and Synonyms
Star-anise Star-anise fruit Chinese anise Semen badiana Anisi stellata fructus
Author:Zhang Jinchun
Botanical Source and History
The plant bearing star-anise is a small tree or shrub, indigenous to southwestern China, growing in the mountainous elevations of Yunnan. The shrub attains a height of from 8 to 12 feet, and has entire, lanceolate, evergreen leaves, which are pellucid-punctate. The flowers are polypetalous and of a greenish-yellow color. The fruit is described below. This plant was introduced into Japan by the followers of Buddha, and planted near their temples.
Description
The U. S. P. describes star-anise merce as follows, giving also the distinctive differences between it and the poisonous fruit of Illicium anisatum, Linné: "The fruit is pedunculate and consists of 8 stellately-arranged carpels, which are boat-shaped, about 10 Mm. (2/5 inch) long, rather woody, wrinkled, straight-beaked, brown, dehiscent on the upper suture, internally reddish-brown, glossy, and containing a single, flattish, oval, glossy, brownish-yellow seed; odor anise-like; taste of the carpels sweet and aromatic, and of the seeds oily. Star-anise should not be confounded with the very similar but poisonous fruit of Illicium anisatum, Linné (Illicium religiosum, Siebold), the carpels of which are more woody, shrivelled, an have a thin, m