Illicium parviflorum
Yellow Anise Tree
Georgia and Florida, in the coastal plain, in sandy swamps and wet areas.
Upright oval to pyramidal but suckering to form thickets.
Sun to shade, growing best in partial shade. Likes ample moisture but will tolerate dry site better than other Illicium.
The most outstanding attribute of Small Anise-tree over the other Illicium species is the olive green color of the foliage. Good for naturalization due to its suckering habit. In other landscapes, suckers need to be controlled to maintain a consistent plant.
Olive green foliage. Alternate, oval-elliptic, 2 to 4 inches long, 1 to 2 inches wide. Leaves toward the tip are usually held at 45 degrees to the stem. Leaves with a pleasant anise odor.
Flower buds - large, imbricate, green; vegetative buds - smaller, imbricate, plump, green.
In the axils of the leaves, small, .5 inch in diameter or less, yellow-green without any odor. Flowers in May-June.
Follicle, starting green and maturing to brown.
Seed, cutting.