ST4R AXISE. 173 



immediately and strongly, while the Chinese star anise causes only 

 a very faint red coloration. 



Mr. Holmes remarks that "The leading features in the plant 

 appear to be the solitary axillary globular flowers, which do not 

 expand fully, the segments remaining convex, the inner segments 

 being red, and the ten stamens in which the filament forms with 

 the connective an ovoid body. The peduncles are curved and 

 barely half an inch in length. A very similar plant, but with 

 smaller and yellowish flowers, has been grown at the Botanical 

 Gardens, Eegent's Park, since 1870, under the name of I. anisatmii, 

 but the leaves of this species have a sassafras taste. 



The leaves of /. verum, Hooker, differ from those of /. religiosuiii 

 in having the mid-rib prominent on the upper and not on the 

 lower surface, and the taste is astringent and terebinthinous. 



The fruit of Chinese Star anise has been found by Dr. Ferdinand 

 Oswald to yield 78-4 per cent, of carpels and 21-6 per cent, of seed. 

 The yield of essential oil from the carpels w^as 5-6 per cent., while 

 only 27 was obtained from the seed ; these figures being somewhat 

 higher than those previously given by Meissner. The seeds 

 contain 22 per cent, of fixed oil, while the carpels yield only 1*3 

 the sp. gr. of the essential oil was found to be 0-985 at 15^ C, and* 

 0-980 at 20^ C. 



Investigations made by Messrs. Schimmel & Co. into the nature 

 of oil of Chinese star anise* throw some light upon the character 

 of the constituents of low boiling-point, viz., the terpenes contained 

 in it. The fraction in which these constituents occur boils at 157^ 

 and 175^ C, and contains : — Dextro-pinene. Boiling point 157°- 

 163° ; optical rotation + 21° 30' (100 m. m. tube) characterised 

 by the Pinene-nitrol-amine base of a melting point of 122°-123°. 

 But the chief constituent is Lwvo-Phellandrene, boiling point 170°- 

 175° ; optical rotation —5° 40' (100 m. m. tube). Melting 

 point of the nitrite 102°. 



The highest price for Star Anise oil in the last 30 years was in 

 1867, when it reached 12s. per lb., the lowest quotation being 

 5s. 4d. per lb. in 1893. 



* Bericht, April, 1893. 



