Florida anise tree Illiaceae Illicium
floridanum Ellis
symbol: ILFL
Leaf: Alternate, evergreen, simple, lanceolate to narrowly ovate, thickened, to 8 inches, entire margin, with a red petiole, fragrant when crushed.
Flower: Species is monoecious; showy, usually red-maroon, but a white cultivar "alba" exists, borne singly on long stalks, 1 to 2 inches across, with numerous long thin petals, appearing in spring, somewhat pungent.
Fruit: An inconspicuous star-shaped cluster of woody follicles.
Twig: Moderate to stout, red to green with red to green buds, terminal buds large and clustered, distinctly imbricate, leaf scars football-shaped, lateral buds minute.
Bark: Gray-brown and smooth.
Form: A multistem shrub to 10 feet, with a lesser spread, suckers from the roots.
Looks like: yellow anisetree