Description

Glossy evergreen foliage smells like anise when crushed; produces pretty star-shaped seeds that are toxic in quantity; makes a fine hedge or can be limbed up as a tree; prefers shade but can adapt to full sun with adequate moisture

Landscape Attributes

Japanese Star Anise is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

Japanese Star Anise is recommended for the following landscape applications;

Planting & Growing

Japanese Star Anise will grow to be about 19 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This shrub does best in partial shade to shade. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is particular about its soil conditions, with a strong preference for sandy, acidic soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This species is native to parts of North America, and parts of it are known to be toxic to humans and animals, so care should be exercised in planting it around children and pets.