Illicium floridanum
Encyclopedia
Illicium floridanum is an evergreen shrub native to the south-eastern United states especially Florida and Louisiana.
It is a close relative of the Chinese star anise but it is not edible.
The flowers are a very distinctive deep carmine red or maroon with narrow widely separated petals. The whole plant and especially the flowers have a distinctive fishy smell, hence the common names stink-bush, dead fish tree, or wet dog bush. The crushed foliage, however, has a pleasant spicy aroma akin to lemon-lime or aniseed. This plant is highly toxic and not a substitute for Illicium verum.
It is a close relative of the Chinese star anise but it is not edible.
The flowers are a very distinctive deep carmine red or maroon with narrow widely separated petals. The whole plant and especially the flowers have a distinctive fishy smell, hence the common names stink-bush, dead fish tree, or wet dog bush. The crushed foliage, however, has a pleasant spicy aroma akin to lemon-lime or aniseed. This plant is highly toxic and not a substitute for Illicium verum.
See also
- Japanese star aniseJapanese star aniseIllicium anisatum, commonly known as the Japanese star anise, is a tree similar to Chinese star anise. It is highly toxic, therefore it is not edible; instead, it has been burned as incense in Japan, where it is known as...
- Star aniseStar aniseIllicium verum, commonly called Star anise, star aniseed, or Chinese star anise, is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavor, obtained from the star-shaped pericarp of Illicium verum, a small native evergreen tree of northeast Vietnam and southwest China...
- Illicium parviflorumIllicium parviflorumIllicium parviflorum, commonly known as yellow anise, is an aromatic evergreen tree or shrub common to the southeastern United States, especially around the states of Florida and Georgia. It is in the same genus as the star anise - Illicium verum, which is commonly used and sold as a spice...