Flora Medica

WINTERACE^.Nat, syst.ed. 2. p. 17.ILLICIUM.Sepals 3-6, petaloid. Carpels capsular, arranged in a starlikemanner, opening at the upper end, 1 -seeded. Seed shining.Evergreen, very smooth, shrubs.56. I. floridanum Ellis inphil. trans. 1770. 1. 12. Bot. Mag.439. Bigelow med. hot. iii. t. 48. DC. i.prodr. 77. Thicketst.in the country bordering the Gulf of Mexico on the north.A shrub or small tree. Leaves scattered, or in tufts, on shortpetioles, evergreen, oval-lanceolate, slightly acuminate, entire, smoothon both sides, and firm or fleshy. The flowers proceed from the sidesof the branches at the axils of the last year's leaves, on slender, noddingpeduncles, an inch or two long ; when fully expanded they are of adark, purplish crimson. Calyx deciduous. Petals linear, obtuse, inthree rows, about nine in a row, the uppermost row ascending, thelowermost descending, and broader or more spatulate. Stamens 30 ormore, diverging, flat, depressed, with the anthers recurved ; pollen white.Ovaries 12 or more, roundish-rhomboidal, compressed, and arranged ina circular manner; styles short, recurved, pubescent on the inside.Bark and leaves aromatic and spicy effects ; analogous to those of otheraromatic barks.57. I. anisatum Lour. fl.cock. 353. Gaerln. carp.i. t. 69.Provinces of China west of Canton. (Star Anise.)A shrub about 8 feet high branches smooth, ; spreading. Leaves obovate,obtuse, entire, smooth, small, crowded, stalked. Flowers yellow,lateral, solitary, stalked. Sepals 6. Petals numerous, spreading.Stamens about 30, placed on the receptacle. Ovaries 8, or more, eachwith a very short style. Follicles usually 8, ovate-lanceolate, hardand woody, placed horizontally in a circle, 1-seeded; seeds ovate,compressed, brown. The whole plant, especially the fruit, has apleasant aromatic flavour of anise ;sweetish and rather pungent. It isreckoned a stomachic and carminative among the Chinese, and is usedas a spice in their cookery. According to Siebold, this is not theSkimi of Kaempfer, which is chiefly employed as a perfume by thepriests of China and Japan, but a quite distinct species. He calls theformer Illicium religiosum. The fruit is aromatic and carminative, andby distillation yields an oil which has most of the properties of oil ofanise, for which it is often substituted. It is chiefly used in thefabrication of liqueurs.25