Anise is an annual herb that reaches a height of about 2 feet. Leaves and seeds are produced in large, loose clusters. The upper leaves are very lacy, while the lower leaves are broader, up to 1 inch wide, resembling parsley. Small, yellowish white flowers form in rounded clusters with five petals, five stamens, and two styles. Seeds--really dried fruits--are flattened, oval, downy, gray-brown, with lengthwise ribs, about 1/8 inch long; they're produced in large, loose umbels on tall, rounded, grooved stalks. Anise is frequently confused with--but quite different from--Sweet Anise, also known as Florence Fennel and Finocchio. It originated in Greece and Europe.
Market Information
Current production and yield. Average yields in California range from 500 to 700 pounds of seed per acre.
Use. The dried fruits, usually called seeds, have been used for centuries for flavoring pastries, candies, and beverages. The oil distilled from the seed is preferred to the seed for flavoring because the seed has an undesirable appearance in some edible products. The oil is also used in medicines, perfumes, soaps, and other toilet articles. The flavor of the leaves, seed and oil is sweet, resembling licorice. The green leaves and stalks can be used fresh, steamed or sauteed.
Culture
Climatic requirements. A frost-free season of at least 120 days is required and uniform rainfall or irrigation throughout the growing season is essential because the plant is adversely affected by fluctuating soil moisture.
Propagation and care. The plant requires a light, fertile, sandy loam soil that is well drained. Plant the seed about 1/2 inch deep in rows 18-30 inches apart at the rate of one or two seeds per inch. At this rate, 5-10 pounds of seed are required to plant one acre. They do not transplant easily. Commercial growers either pull plants out of the ground or cut the tops by hand. The harvested material is tied in bundles and stacked in a conical pile with the fruiting heads toward the center. This is usually done when all the seed in the umbel is still green. The seed then continues to ripen and when mature does not discolor and shatter from the plant.
Rust can be severe under California conditions.
Sources
Seed:
Abundant Life Seed Foundation, PO Box 772, Port Townsend, WA 98368.
Bountiful Gardens, 5798 Ridgewood Road, Willits, CA 95490.
Caprilands Herb Farm, 534 Silver Street, Coventry, CN 06238.
Comstock, Ferre & Co., 263 Main Street, Wethersfield, CT 06109.
De Giorgi Co., Inc., PO Box 413, Council Bluffs, IA 51502
Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co., Yankton, SD 57079.
J.L. Hudson, Seedsman, PO Box 1058, Redwood City, CA 94064.
Johnny's Selected Seeds, 299 Foss Hill Road, Albion, ME 04910.
Lagomarsino Seeds, Inc., 5675-A Power Inn Road, Sacramento, CA 95824.
Le Jardin du Gourmet, PO Box 75, St. Johnsbury Center, VT 05863.
Nichols Garden Nursery, 1190 North Pacific Highway, Albany, OR 97321
Pinetree Garden Seeds, Route 100, New Gloucester, ME 04260.
Redwood City Seed Co., PO Box 361, Redwood City, CA 94064.
Otto Richter & Sons Ltd., Box 26, Goodwood, Ontario, Canada L0C 1A0.
Stokes Seeds Inc., Box 548, Buffalo, NY 14240.
Taylor's Herb Gardens, Inc., 1535 Lone Oak Road, Vista, CA 92084.
Thompson & Morgan, PO Box 1308, Jackson, NJ 08527.
Kowalchik, Claire, et al., eds. Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs. Rodale Press. 1987. pp 14-16.
Newcomb, Duane, and Karen Newcomb. The Complete Vegetable Gardener's Sourcebook. Prentice Hall Press. 1989. 408 p.
Organic Gardening Magazine, The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. Rodale Press. 1978. pp. 38-39.
Williams, Louis. Drug and Condiment Plants. Agriculture Handbook No. 172. USDA/ARS. 1960. pp 5-6.
Stephens, James. Minor Vegetables. Univ. of Florida Cooperative Extension Bulletin SP-40. June 1988. 123 pp.
Reviewed by Ed Perry, Farm Advisor, Modesto.
Reviewed by Yvonne Savio, 12/27/89.
Figure 1. Anise reaches a height of about 2 feet, the leaves are up to one inch wide. (Photo from Marita Cantwell).
3/19/90