ORD. VI. Umbellate: > - 135 
PIMPINELLA ANISUM. ANISE. 
2 ———— ee 
SYNONYMA. Anisum. Pharm. Lond. & Edinb. Gerard. 
Emac. p. 1035. Park. Theat. p.911. Raii Hist. p.450. Anisum 
herbariis. Bauh. Pin.p.159. Anisum vulgare. Clus. Hist. ti. p. 
202. Anisum vulgatius minus annuum. Hist. Ox. iti. p. 297. 
Sp. Ch. P. foliis radicalibus trifidis incisis. 
THE root is annual, tapering: the stem is upright, branched, 
striated, jointed, smooth, and rises about a foot in height: the 
leaves on the upper part of the stem are divided into narrow 
pinnated segments, but at the bottom they are roundish, separated 
in three or five indented lobes, and stand upon scored sheath-like 
footstalks: the flowers are small, white, and placed in umbels, 
which are terminal, flat, consisting of several general and partial 
radii, without involucra: the parts of inflorescence resemble those 
of the P. Saxifraga; therefore need not be repeated here. It isa 
native of Egypt, and flowers in July. 
The Anise was cultivated here in the time of Turner, (1551) 
but our summers are seldom warm enough to bring the plant to 
perfection. The seeds, according to Miller, are annually imported 
here from Malta and Spain, where the Anise is chiefly cultivated. 
Savary also informs us, that “ the Maltese and Alicant Anise is most 
esteemed, though not so green as the French;” and the Spanish 
Aniseeds are easily distinguished from those of France and Ger 
many, by being much smaller. ; 
Aniseeds have an aromatic smell, and a pleasant warm taste, 
accompanied with a considerable degree of sweetness. “ They 
totally give out their virtue to rectified spirit—The spirit, distilled 
off from the filtered tincture, has a light taste of the seeds, but 
leaves far the greatest part of their virtue behind in the extract.— 
Infused in water, they impart a little of their smell, but scarcely 
any taste: in distillation they give out the whole of their flavour.” 
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