Herb · Apiaceae
Anise
Pimpinella anisum
Sow it once, leave the taproot undisturbed, and a long warm summer dries its flat heads to fragrant gray-brown seed.
Full sun
Every 3–7 days
50–86°F · 10–30°C
100–120 days
Overview
Anise is the source of that warm, licorice-sweet flavor in bread and liqueurs, a soft annual in the carrot family kin to dill and fennel. Its native ground runs from the eastern Mediterranean into the Levant. The crop is the seed, the aniseed of the spice rack, and the lacy young leaves are good in the kitchen besides.
It is a slight, slender plant of 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm), with low leaves cut into fine, thread-like segments that give the foliage a soft, feathery look. In mid-summer the stems lift flat heads of small white flowers, the broad umbels of its family. As the petals drop, each flower sets a tiny seed that firms and dries to a dull gray-brown, and the whole plant gives off the scent of anise at the lightest brush.
Behind all that fine top growth runs one taproot, a single deep root that resents disturbance, which is why the seed is sown where the plant will stand and left there. Sun, warmth, and a long enough season are all it asks, and it grows on with little fuss.
Care
The short version: full sun, light well-drained soil, and steady moisture as the fine seedlings get going. The seed is sown straight into the ground after frost, fed lightly, and given a long warm season to dry its seed down.
Light
Anise wants full sun, the more the better. A bright, open spot firms and dries the seed and keeps the slim, soft stems from stretching, while shade leaves pale, weak plants and a thin crop.
Water
The soil stays evenly moist while the fine seed germinates and through any dry spell. An established plant rides out brief dry stretches, but standing water rots the slender taproot, so well-drained ground does the work.
Soil
Anise wants light, well-drained loam with some compost worked through. A pH between 6.0 and 7.0 suits it, on the neutral side, and loose, open ground lets the single taproot drive straight down.
Temperature
Anise grows across 50°F to 86°F (10°C to 30°C) and leans warm. It needs a long stretch of mild weather to dry its seed, so cold, short summers leave the heads green and unfinished.
Humidity
Average outdoor humidity around 40% to 60% is plenty, with no number to chase. Airflow matters more, since crowded, damp foliage beads up aphids and rot among the fine leaves.
Feeding
Anise is a light feeder, so compost or a balanced fertilizer goes in once before sowing and no more. Too much nitrogen swells soft, leggy stems that bow under the weight of the filling seed heads.
Pruning
There is little to do. A single pinch makes a young plant bushier, but it is never transplanted, since the deep taproot resents disturbance. The flat flower heads are left whole so the seed can dry on the plant.
Repotting
Anise is not a pot plant. It is direct-sown as an annual in open ground, so there is no repotting and no roots to coil. The seed goes in its final spot and the plant dries its crop there.
Size & spacing
Plants stand 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm) tall on a narrow footprint of 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm). Each slim plant takes that much room, or the seed goes in a tight block so the thin stems lean on one another.
When to plant
Anise needs warmth and a long run to firm its seed, so it goes in only after the last frost when the soil has warmed. The seed is sown in place in late spring, flat white heads open in mid-summer, and the seed is gathered once it dries to gray-brown in late summer or fall.
Northern hemisphere
Southern hemisphere
Typical months for a temperate climate: start earlier in warm zones, later where spring frosts linger.
- Sow: Generally avoided; the taproot resents transplanting, so direct sowing is preferred
- Plant: After the last frost once soil is warm (about 60°F); needs roughly 120 frost-free days to ripen seed
- Harvest: White flower umbels appear in mid-summer; harvest seed when ripe and gray-brown in late summer to fall
Hardiness
USDA hardiness zones: 4–11
Temperature: down to -34°C
Troubleshooting
Anise rarely runs into serious trouble, but a few signs show up on the plant itself. They mark the feathery foliage or the slim seed heads, and most trace back to a season too short or soil too rich. Match what you see below and step in early.
Seed staying green and soft past its time
When the heads stay plump, green, and soft instead of drying down, the seed has run out of warm days, the mark of a short or cool season. An early sowing after frost stretches the warm window the seed needs to firm and color up. The warmest, sunniest site gives it more heat, and a row cover traps back some of the warmth a cool summer strips away.
Fix:
- Plant as early as safely possible after last frost
- Grow in the warmest, sunniest available site
- Use row covers to extend warmth
Tiny soft insects beading the lacy leaves
Those pinhead-sized, soft-bodied specks crowding the feathery foliage are aphids, and the glassy sheen coating the leaves is their honeydew. They press in tight clusters along the leaf undersides, so turn the foliage over to find them. A hard jet of water strips them loose, insecticidal soap finishes off any stragglers, and less nitrogen starves the soft growth they crave.
Fix:
- Dislodge with a strong jet of water
- Apply insecticidal soap if needed
Slim stems bowing under the weight of the heads
Once the flat umbels load up with seed, their weight bows the slender stems over, and that collapse is lodging. Rich soil and crowded sowing push the stems soft and leggy, so they give way all the sooner. A few short stakes lift the stems upright again, or a dense block of plants lets the stems prop one against the next.
Fix:
- Provide light staking or grow in blocks for mutual support
Toxicity
The plant itself is benign: anise is a culinary herb and safe around pets, livestock, and people. It is not on the ASPCA's toxic list, and the seed is even used to lure and reward dogs in training. Only the concentrated essential oil, pressed from that seed, calls for care, so keep it out of reach. This is true anise, not the unrelated star anise with its hard, woody fruit.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
The ASPCA leaves anise off its list of plants toxic to cats, so the soft, feathery leaves do no harm to a curious nibbler. A cat that works through a big mouthful of any new green can end up with a mildly upset stomach.
Dogs Safe
Anise is safe for dogs, and the small dry seed is used as a scent lure in training. A dog that chews the green stems and leaves comes to no harm.
Horses Safe
Horses can graze beside anise without trouble. The plant carries none of the toxins that make other garden plants a worry around livestock.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can crop the lacy, thread-fine foliage with no ill effect. As with any treat, the portion stays small and sits alongside their usual hay and greens.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep stay safe around anise, and the herb has a long history as fodder and a milk flavoring.
Birds Safe
The seed and foliage are harmless to birds, and many will peck the ripe, gray-brown heads in the garden.
People Safe
Anise is a kitchen herb through and through. The leaves and seed are eaten and flavor everything from bread to liqueurs, and only the concentrated essential oil calls for a careful hand.
Foliage and seed are non-toxic, but concentrated anise essential oil should still be kept away from pets.
Varieties
There is little to choose from with anise. It is grown almost entirely as the plain species, so the main thing is making sure the feathery, soft-leaved plant in front of you is the right one.
Common anise (species type)
Nearly all anise is the plain unimproved species, since named cultivars are scarce, and it should never be taken for the woody, star-shaped fruit of the unrelated star anise.
How to propagate
Anise grows from its small dry seed alone, sown right where it will stand. The trick is timing the sowing to the warm soil the fine seedlings need and leaving them undisturbed once they break ground.
SeedModerate
Direct sow after the last frost once soil has warmed · Germinates in about 1 to 2 weeks; reaches seed maturity in roughly 100 to 120 days
Anise grows from its small dry seed alone, dropped straight where it will stay because the slender taproot will not stand being moved. Once the frost has passed and the soil has warmed, the seed settles into place, and the fine first shoots break the surface in 1 to 2 weeks. An overnight soak softens the seed coat and quickens that first stir. From there the plant spends 100 to 120 days firming and coloring its seed to ripeness, so an early start counts.
Myths
Anise and star anise are the same spice.
Only the flavor matches, carried by a compound they share called anethole. True anise is Pimpinella anisum in the carrot family, a soft annual herb with thread-fine foliage, while star anise is Illicium verum, a woody tree bearing hard, star-shaped fruit. They are not interchangeable plants.
Anise transplants as easily as most herbs.
Anise drives down a single deep taproot that resents being moved, and a disturbed seedling often sulks or dies. Sow the seed where the plant will stand for the season rather than starting it in cells and shifting it later.