Florida anise
Illicium floridanum · Schisandraceae
A native evergreen for wet shade, with large, olive-green leaves that smell of anise when crushed and curious, starry, maroon flowers in spring.
- Size
- 8 ft tall, 6½ ft wide
- Zones
- 7 to 10
- Light
- Part shade to shade
- Flowers
- Mid April to mid May
- Pets
- Toxic (moderate)
- Job in a bed
- Anchor
A bed built around Florida anise
The planner designed this bed around Florida anise when this page was made: a 16 × 8 ft (4.9 × 2.4 m) English border in zone 7, part shade. It chose the other plants from the 535 that suit those conditions, and says below why Florida anise stands where it does.
The plants
- 1 Florida anise × 1, red
- 2 Woodland strawberry × 28, white
- 3 Dwarf goat's beard × 8, cream
- 4 Bugbane 'Brunette' × 4, white
- 5 Astilbe 'Purple Candles' × 5, purple
- 6 Hairy alumroot 'Autumn Bride' × 5, white
- 7 Yellow trout lily × 12, yellow
- 8 Winter cyclamen × 8, pink
- 9 Snowdrop × 12, white
Why this plant
- The bed's only structure. Shrubs and grasses keep their shape when the perennials die down, and it is the only one here.
- The only red.
Why here
- Anchors a back corner. At 8 ft it is the tallest plant here, and the tallest close the ends of the bed, where they stand in front of nothing.
- A step in the back row. Next to bugbane 'Brunette' (5 ft): no two neighbours there are the same height, so the back steps up and down like a skyline.
- One plant, alone. A shrub is seen as an object, and needs clear ground around it.
Why now
- In flower for six weeks. From mid April to mid May.
- Part of the bed's peak. With yellow trout lily in mid April: 2 kinds at once. No week has more.
- The only leaves in winter. From November to March it is what there is to look at.
Planned as an English border: 6 of the 6 groups (100%) are drifts, longer along the bed than they are deep. The bed is tied together by its repeats: four kinds come round again along it, among them woodland strawberry and hairy alumroot 'Autumn Bride'. Hot and cool in equal measure: red and yellow against purple and pink, with white and cream to calm things between them.
The planner's own design check: 10 Excellent, 6 Good, 1 Needs revision. Its weakest point is height and scale: Heights average about 8 in at the front, 10 in in the middle and 4½ ft at the back. Along the back row the heights step up and down, between 3½ ft and 8 ft, and no two neighbours are the same height. It flags one thing to watch: Nothing on this plan is highly poisonous or an aggressive spreader.
Open this bed in the planner Change its size, the sun or the style, move plants about, or swap one for another.
Where Florida anise goes in a border
At 8 ft it belongs at the back of a bed. In the planner's ten height classes it is super tall (over 6½ ft).
Its job: anchor. A shrub that gives the bed permanent structure. Planted singly, as soon as the front edge is laid; everything else is arranged around it.
One of the few broad-leaved evergreens that enjoys deep shade and wet soil. Deer avoid it. The flowers smell slightly fishy close up, so do not plant it by the door.
- Evergreen screening in shade
- Wet, shady soil
- Native woodland gardens in the South
What to plant with Florida anise
Plants recorded as good partners for it, and what each pairing does:
- Autumn fern: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; low enough (22 in) to stand in front of it; happy in the same moist soil.
- Cast iron plant: its dark green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; low enough (24 in) to stand in front of it.
- Hosta: its green leaves are a setting for the flowers, before and after; bold leaves against its medium ones; spires rising out of its mound.
Questions about Florida anise
Does Florida anise need sun or shade?
Florida anise grows in part shade (2 to 4 hours of sun, mostly in the morning) and shade (less than 2 hours of direct sun, or bright dappled light).
It wants soil that stays evenly moist, rich in organic matter, and plenty of water. It copes with soil that stays wet.
What zones does Florida anise grow in?
USDA zones 7 to 10. It is hardy to zone 7, which means it survives winter nights down to about 10 °F (−12 °C).
Gardening in Canada? Use the USDA zone for your town: Canada's own zone map uses different numbers.
When does Florida anise flower in my zone?
In zone 5 it flowers mid April to mid May. As a spring flower it moves about a week for every zone: earlier where it is warmer, later where it is colder.
| Zone 7 | Late March to early May |
|---|---|
| Zone 8 | Late March to late April |
| Zone 9 | Mid March to mid April |
Worked out from Hopkins' bioclimatic law: spring arrives about four days later for each degree of latitude north, and one zone is roughly two degrees. A warm spring or a cold one moves any garden two weeks either way.
How far apart should Florida anise be planted?
5 ft (150 cm) apart, from the middle of one plant to the middle of the next. That is a little closer than its full width of 6½ ft (200 cm), so a group knits into one patch.
It grows 8 ft (250 cm) tall. Give it the full distance from anything taller, or it will lean out towards the light.
How many Florida anise plants do I need?
Usually one. At 5 ft (150 cm) across, it is a plant you place, not one you mass. For a hedge or screen, set them 5 ft apart: three plants for a 10 ft run.
In the bed above, the planner used one in one group.
Is Florida anise poisonous to dogs and cats?
Yes: moderate toxicity to people, dogs, cats and horses. All parts are poisonous if eaten. This is not the star anise used in cooking.
Rated from NC State Extension. Where references disagree, the more cautious rating is used.
Is there a pet-safe plant like Florida anise?
These come closest to doing what Florida anise does, and no toxicity is recorded for them:
- Sasanqua camellia: the same job in a bed, the same size and the same colour; flowers early October to mid December.
- Chinese fringe flower: the same job in a bed; 20 in shorter, flowers late March to early May.
- Double Japanese kerria: the same job in a bed and the same flowering time; 20 in shorter, yellow, not red.
Matched the way the planner's Swap button matches plants: the same job in a bed, then size, then flowering time.
Do deer eat Florida anise?
They may. NC State does not list it as resistant to deer or rabbits. Where they visit, protect it, or plant it among ones they avoid.
What flowers after Florida anise?
Florida anise is over by mid May. These start as it finishes and carry the same spot on, so it never goes flat:
- Oakleaf hydrangea: from mid June to early August, 6½ ft tall.
- Rhododendron 'Nova Zembla': from late May to mid June, 6½ ft tall.
- Mountain laurel: from late May to late June, 8 ft tall.
What does Florida anise look like in winter?
Florida anise keeps its green leaves all winter, so it is one of the plants that hold a bed together from November to March, when the perennials have gone.
Is Florida anise good for bees and butterflies?
Florida anise is visited by pollinators.
It is native to the United States.
In these guides
- Plants for wet soil and rain gardens
- Garden plants toxic to cats
- Garden plants toxic to dogs
- Native plants for shade
- Evergreen shrubs for structure
Every fact on record
- Type
- Shrub
- Size
- 8 ft (250 cm) tall, 6½ ft (200 cm) wide
- Plant
- 5 ft (150 cm) apart
- Height class
- Super tall (over 6½ ft)
- Place in the bed
- Back
- Flowers
- Mid April to mid May; red
- Leaves
- Medium texture, evergreen; green
- Shape
- Rounded, clumping
- Hardy in
- USDA zones 7 to 10
- Light
- Part shade, shade
- Soil
- Rich, evenly moist
- Water
- High
- Feeding
- None needed
- Family
- Schisandraceae
- Comes from
- Southeastern U.S.A., Mexico
- Attracts
- Pollinators
- Stands up to
- Wet soil
Checked against NC State Extension. Flowering times are for zone 5: later in colder zones, earlier in warmer ones. Toxicity and spread information is a general gardening guide, not veterinary or medical advice, and invasive status varies by region. If a person or pet eats a plant, contact poison control or a vet. Check your local invasive species list before planting anything with a spread warning.