Herb · Apiaceae
Anise
Pimpinella anisum
Sow it once, leave the taproot undisturbed, and anise rewards a long warm summer with fragrant 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 everything from bread to liqueurs, and it grows as a soft annual in the carrot family alongside dill and fennel. It came from the eastern Mediterranean and the Levant, where the long, warm seasons suit it. The plant is grown for its seed, the aniseed of the spice rack, though the lacy young leaves are good in the kitchen too.
It stays modest in size, reaching 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm) with feathery lower leaves and flat white flower heads in mid-summer. After the flowers fade, the seed forms and slowly dries to a gray-brown, which is the signal to harvest. The whole plant smells of anise when you brush past it.
The one thing to know going in is that anise dislikes being moved. It sends down a taproot that resents disturbance, so you sow it where it will stand and leave it there. Give it sun, warmth, and a long enough season, and it carries itself with very little fuss.
Care
The short version: full sun, light well-drained soil, and steady moisture while it gets going. Sow the seed straight in the ground after frost, feed lightly, and give it a long warm season to ripen its seed.
Light
Anise wants full sun, the more the better. A bright, open spot ripens the seed and keeps the soft stems from stretching, while shade leaves you with weak plants and a poor crop.
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist while the seed germinates and through any dry spell. Once the plant is established it handles brief dry stretches, but standing water will rot the roots, so let well-drained soil do the work.
Soil
Plant in light, well-drained loam with some compost worked in. A pH between 6.0 and 7.0 suits it, on the neutral side, and loose ground gives the taproot room to run straight down.
Temperature
Anise grows across a range of 50°F to 86°F (10°C to 30°C) and leans warm. It needs a long stretch of mild weather to ripen seed, so cold, short summers leave the crop green and unfinished.
Humidity
Average outdoor humidity around 40% to 60% is plenty, and there's no number to fuss over. Good airflow matters more, since crowded, damp foliage invites aphids and rot.
Feeding
Anise is a light feeder, so work in compost or a balanced fertilizer once before sowing and leave it at that. Too much nitrogen grows soft, floppy stems that lean over as the seed heads fill.
Pruning
There isn't much to do. Pinch young plants once to make them bushier, but never transplant, since the taproot resents the disturbance. Leave the flower heads alone so the seed can ripen.
Repotting
Anise isn't a pot plant. It's direct-sown as an annual and grown in the ground, so there's no repotting and no roots to coil. Sow it in its final spot and let it finish the season there.
Size & spacing
Plants reach 18 to 24 inches (45 to 60 cm) tall with a slim spread of 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30 cm). Give each one that much room, or sow in a tight block so the stems lean on each other for support.
When to plant
Anise needs warmth and a long run to ripen, so it goes in the ground only after the last frost when the soil has warmed. Sow it in place in late spring, watch for white flower heads in mid-summer, and gather the seed 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 things can trip it up. Most show on the foliage or the seed heads, and most trace back to the season being too short or the soil too rich. Match what you see below and step in early.
Seed still green and soft when frost arrives
Anise needs a long, warm run to ripen its seed, and a short or cool season leaves the heads soft and green. Plant as early as you safely can after the last frost and pick the warmest, sunniest spot you have. A row cover can buy back some of the warmth a cool summer takes away.
Fix:
- Plant as early as safely possible after last frost
- Grow in the warmest, sunniest available site
- Use row covers to extend warmth
Sticky foliage crawling with tiny soft-bodied insects
Those clusters are aphids, and the shine they leave behind is honeydew. Check the undersides of the leaves where the colonies hide, then knock them off with a hard spray of water. If they keep coming back, treat with insecticidal soap and ease up on the nitrogen.
Fix:
- Dislodge with a strong jet of water
- Apply insecticidal soap if needed
Stems leaning over once the seed heads fill out
This is lodging, and it happens when top-heavy umbels catch the wind. Rich soil and crowded plants only make it worse by pushing soft, leggy growth. A few short stakes hold them up, or you can sow in a tight block so the plants lean on each other.
Fix:
- Provide light staking or grow in blocks for mutual support
Toxicity
Good news here: anise is a culinary herb and is safe around pets, livestock, and people. It isn't on the ASPCA's toxic list, and the seed is even used to lure and reward dogs in training. Only the concentrated essential oil asks for care, so keep that out of reach. Note this is true anise, not the unrelated star anise.
Safe for
People · Cats · Dogs · Horses · Rabbits · Livestock · Birds
Cats Safe
The ASPCA does not list anise among plants toxic to cats. A nibble of the feathery leaves won't hurt, though a lot of any new green can leave a cat with a mildly upset stomach.
Dogs Safe
Anise is safe for dogs, and the seed is even used as a scent lure in training. The plant itself poses no danger if a dog chews on it.
Horses Safe
Horses can graze near anise without trouble. It carries none of the toxins that make other garden plants a worry around livestock.
Rabbits Safe
Rabbits can sample the lacy foliage with no ill effect. As with any treat, keep the portion small and let it sit alongside their regular hay and greens.
Livestock Safe
Cattle, goats, and sheep can be around anise safely, and the herb has a long history of use as fodder and a milk flavoring.
Birds Safe
The seed and foliage are harmless to birds, and many will happily peck at ripe anise 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 isn't much to choose from with anise. It's grown almost entirely as the plain species, so the main thing is making sure you have the right plant.
Common anise (species type)
Almost all anise is grown as the plain unimproved species, since few named cultivars exist and it should never be confused with the unrelated star anise.
How to propagate
Anise comes from seed and seed alone, and it has to be sown right where it will grow. The trick is timing it to the warm soil it needs and resisting any urge to move the seedlings.
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 only from seed, sown right where it will stay because the taproot won't take to being moved. Wait until the frost has passed and the soil has warmed, then drop the seed in place, and the sprouts show in 1 to 2 weeks. Soaking the seed overnight first wakes it up faster. From there the plant takes 100 to 120 days to ripen a crop of seed, so an early start matters.
Myths
Anise and star anise are the same spice.
They only taste alike, and that comes down to a shared compound called anethole. True anise is Pimpinella anisum in the carrot family, a soft annual herb, while star anise is Illicium verum, a woody tree in a different family altogether. They are not interchangeable plants.
Anise transplants as easily as most herbs.
Anise grows a deep taproot that hates being moved, and a disturbed seedling often sulks or dies. Sow the seed where the plant will stand for the season instead of starting it in cells and shifting it later.