Herb Of The Week - Anise

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http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_MV008

 

 

 

 

Anise -- Pimpinella anisum L.1

<http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_MV008#FOOTNOTE_1>

 

 

James M. Stephens2 <http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_MV008#FOOTNOTE_2>

 

Anise, or sweet Alice, belongs to the Umbelliferae family. Do not

confuse with florence fennel (sweet anise). 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. Seeds are

oblong, about 1/6 inch long, and curved. Fresh leaves are used for

flavoring and garnishing, but the important articles of commerce are the

seeds and oil obtained from them.

 

 

This annual herb has been widely cultivated throughout the world. 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 over 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.

 

 

 

 

CULTURE

 

 

The plant requires a light, fertile, sandy loam soil that is well

drained. A frost-free season of at least 120 days is required and

uniform rainfall throughout the growing season is essential because the

plant is adversely affected by fluctuating soil moisture.

 

The temperature throughout the growing season should be fairly uniform

without excessively hot periods, especially following rainfall. When the

seed is near maturity, alternate wet and dry periods cause it to become

brown. This reduces seed quality and makes harvesting difficult.

 

 

Plant the seed about ½ inch deep in the field in rows 18-30 inches apart

at the rate of one to two seeds per inch. At this rate, 5-10 pounds of

seed are required to plant 1 acre. Some European growers broadcast the

seed, but if weeds are present at harvest, they will affect the market

value of both the seed and the oil. When broadcasting the seed, it is

important that the land have been fallow and in clean culture the

previous season to eliminate weeds. The harvesting of anise is difficult

because the umbels ripen progressively and the seed ripens unevenly

within each umbel.

 

 

 

 

HARVESTING

 

 

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.

 

In foreign countries, the seed is usually flailed out, but it can be

threshed by machinery. The threshed seed is cleaned and bagged for

market. Oil is extracted from the seed by steam distillation. Under

favorable conditions, a seed yield of 400-600 pounds per acre can be

expected.

 

 

 

 

POTENTIAL FOR PRODUCTION

 

 

The climatic and soil conditions of the central and eastern states offer

some possibilities for anise production, but rainy weather at harvest

may reduce the yield and quality. Some irrigated sections in California

and elsewhere in the West may be adequate for this crop if the

temperatures are not too high during the growing and maturing season.

The plant also has possibilities as a winter crop in the irrigated

valleys of the southwestern states, where it must be planted in late

September or early October. Not much is known of its adaptability to

Florida conditions, since so little is grown here. Some gardeners have

grown it successfully in the fall as a garnish green, and it is quite

popular as a container-grown plant.

 

 

 

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Footnotes

 

 

1. This document is Fact Sheet HS-541, a series of the Horticultural

Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of

Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Revised for

CD-ROM: April 1994.

 

2. James M. Stephens, professor, Horticultural Sciences Department,

Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural

Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611.

 

 

 

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information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your

county Cooperative Extension Service office.

 

Florida Cooperative Extension Service / Institute of Food and

Agricultural Sciences / University of Florida / Larry R. Arrington,

Interim Dean

 

 

 

 

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Copyright Information

 

 

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