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Florida anise tree Illiaceae Illicium floridanum Ellis Listen to the Latin Print a QR link to this factsheet 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

Florida anise tree leaf image
Florida anise tree flower image
Florida anise tree twig image
Florida anise tree bark image
Florida anise tree form image
Florida anise tree map image

Additional Range Information: Illicium floridanum is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database - Horticulture Information
All material 2025 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information