Illicium floridanum
Florida Anise Tree
Florida west to Louisiana, in moist woods and seepage areas
Upright rounded shrub.
Partial to full shade in moist, almost wet soils.
Good plant for naturalizing. Can be used in groups or in the shrub border.
Dark green. Alternate, elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, entire margin, 2 to 6 inches long. All parts of the plant have a strong odor.
Buds are greenish-red; flower bud is large, vegetative buds are quite small at .0.06 of an inch.
Stem is shiny, gray-brown with lenticels.
Single or multiple flowers in the axils of the leaves, 1 to 2 inches in diameter. Many linear petals maroon in color. Flowers in April to May. The flowers have a unique odor that borders on malodorous and is probably over the line.
Follicles arranged in a whorl starting green and maturing brown.
Softwood cuttings collected in August, treated with 3000 ppm IBA should root in 4-6 weeks. Firm wooded cuttings collected in summer, treated with 3000-5000 KIBA should root in 8 weeks. Cuttings taken in February through March have also been successful.
'Alba' - white flowered form.
'Hally's Comet' - flowers more red with petals curled and reflexed.
A pink flowered form exists but a cultivar name has not been found for the plant.