Anise
Anise: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar
Anise, Pimpinella anisum, is an annual culinary herb in the carrot family, Apiaceae, alongside parsley, fennel and dill. It is best known for its small aromatic fruits, commonly called aniseed. Their sweet, lasting flavour recalls liquorice. The botanical identity distinguishes anise from other plants whose fragrance is also described as anise-like, even when they are used for different purposes.The plant has upright, branching stems, usually a few tens of centimetres tall. Leaf shape changes according to position. Lower leaves are broader, rounded and toothed, while leaves higher on the stems become more divided. This progression creates increasingly fine foliage towards the tips. Anise therefore has a light outline rather than a uniform mass of large leaves. The variation is part of the same plant’s normal development.Small white flowers gather in umbels at the stem ends. They form a modest but recognisable display among culinary herbs. Insects visit the flowers, which…
