The Herbarium
Part XII · Lookalikes
Field pair
Star anise for anise
Star anise and Anise — take this sheet to the bed, not a guess to the kettle.
Easy to confuseKitchen
Star anise for anise
Illicium and Pimpinella share a flavour and not a family. Japanese star anise is a toxic cousin of the Chinese spice — buy named culinary star anise, never a wild Illicium.
Culinary star anise is an eight-point woody boat. Anise is an umbel seed, small and grey-green. Do not forage a star from an ornamental bush.
The Herbarium — a teaching catalog, not a clinic. Traditional use is history, not a prescription. USDA 6b dates are a week either way, not a promise. Do not eat, drink, or harvest a plant you cannot name.