ILLICIUM (U. S. P.)—ILLICIUM. Description

The U. S. P. describes star-anise of commerce as follows, giving also the distinctive differences between it and the poisonous fruit of Illicium anisatum, Linné: "The fruit is pedunculate and consists of 8 stellately-arranged carpels, which are boat-shaped, about 10 Mm. (⅖ inch) long, rather woody, wrinkled, straight-beaked, brown, dehiscent on the upper suture, internally reddish-brown, glossy, and containing a single, flattish, oval, glossy, brownish-yellow seed; odor anise-like; taste of the carpels sweet and aromatic, and of the seeds oily. Star-anise should not be confounded with the very similar but poisonous fruit of Illicium anisatum, Linné (Illicium religiosum, Siebold), the carpels of which are more woody, shriveled, and have a thin, mostly curved beak, a faint, clove-like odor, and an unpleasant taste"—(U. S. P.). This last poisonous fruit is sometimes found as a dangerous admixture to true star-anise.