Star anise (anise Pimpinella anisum) is a spice that is widely used in South East Asian dishes, so if you’ve ever had some type of curry, chances are, you’ve tasted star anise! The name comes from its obvious star-shaped appearance and smells and tastes a lot like black liquorice. If you’re a fan of exotic dishes, we definitely recommend growing your own star anise as it brings the most incredible aroma and taste to any dish! Today we’ll be showing you to how to grow star anise directly from seeds!

The star anise plant also grows beautiful white flowers, which makes it a great plant to have as a decoration as well. Star anise also goes by the following other names: Aniseed Stars, Anise de Chine, Anisi Stellati Fructus, Anis Etoile, Anis Estrellado, Bajiao, Badiana, Chinese Anise, Chinese Star Anise, Ba Jiao Hui, Eight Horned Anise, Eight Horns, and Illicium Verum.

The plant belongs to the Illiciaceae family, and it is actually a tropical evergreen tree, that grows to about 5-10m in height. The foliage is large, leafy, and white green, with white flowers that add a beautiful decorative aspect.