(14) 
(Tijdschrift voor Natuurlijke Geshiedenis 
en Physiologie 1834. Over de Ster-Anijs.) 
He was, however, refuted by M. Siebold, 
(Erwiederungen, iiber den Ursprung des 
Sternanisesj i 837) who proved that the Jap- 
anese plant, Illicium religiosum does not 
yield the Star-anise of commerce, and that 
the latter, much used in Japanese medicine, 
was introduced into Japan from China or 
other countries. M. Hoffmann at last seeks 
to prove (Angaben aus Chines und Japan, 
Naturgesch von dem Illicium religiosum 
1837) that the Star-anise is also not a native 
of China. He quotes the Pen-ts : ao and as- 
serts, that there it is expressly stated, that 
the Star-anise is not indigenous to China, but 
is brought by foreign vessels. But the quota- 
tion of M. Hoffmann is wrong, for the Pen- 
ts‘ao states on the contrary, that the Star- 
anise grows in the Southern provinces of 
China. 
Under the name of 
^ Tgp Huai-siang 
or pjj Hui-siang (siang=fragrant) the 
Pen-ts‘ao describes at first (XXYI 62) a 
fragrant plant with leaves like hairs, little 
yellow flowers, which are arranged like an 
umbrella. The seeds resemble the barley. 
The best kind is said to come from Ning-sia 
(province of Kan-su.) This is without doubt 
the common Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare.) 
I have also examined the Ilui-siang obtained 
from the Chinese Apothecary shops. After 
this description the Pen-ts‘ao continues as 
follows: 
There is yet another kind of Hui-siang 
which is brought by foreign vessels. The 
fruit is as large as the fruit of the 
(Thuja) and is divided into 8 corners, each 
of them containing a kernel like a bean, of a 
yellowish colour and a sweet taste like the 
common Hui-siang. This fruit is called Po- 
ind- siang (po=vessel) or 5^ Pa- 
Jiiif-siang (eight cornered Hui-siang.) This 
fruit grows in Kuang-tung and Kuang-si , 
namely in the departments situated near the 
foreign frontier (^. 
Jj=| ) a nd that the best comes in 
foreign* vessels, wherefore it is called Yessel- 
star-anise. It can not therefore be called 
in question, that the Star-anise tree grows 
in China. Mr. Rondot (Commerce d’ex- 
portation de la Chine 1848 p. ii) states: 
“L’anis etoile est porte a Canton par les 
jonques foldenoises. Le plus renomme est 
celui de Tsiouen-tchou-fou. II en vient 
egalement, mais en moindre quantite, du 
* I think, the character (foreign) here relates 
not to distant countries, but only to the Southern con- 
iines of China. 
v; u 
5c 
i!r 
Kiang-si, du Y un-nan et meme de quelques 
endroits du Kottng-tong.” Dr. Williams’ 
(Commercial Guide) mentions Fokien, Japan 
and the Philippines as the native countries* 
of the Star-anise. But Lindley (Treasury 
of Botany) says, that Star-anise (Illicium 
anisatum) is only found in China. I think 
Lindley is right. I do not know, whether 
our botanists possess in their herbariums a 
specimen of this plant. It seems not to 
occur in countries visited by foreigners.* 
The Star-anise is much used by the Chinese. 
It is therefore inconceivable how little in- 
formation can be found in Chinese books 
about this tree. I looked over in the great 
Imperial Geography 1-tung-ehi , the enume- 
ration of products of all departments in the 
provinces of Fukien, Kuangtung, Kuangsi, 
Kiangsi <v c. Regarding the Star-anise there 
is only one statement, a quotation from the 
history of the Sung dynasty, that Star-anise 
is a tribute of the Southern part of jjjjjjj 
Kien-eliow (now Yen-ping-fu in Fukien.) f 
I have also searched for the same purpose 
in the special descriptions of those provinces 
(Kuang-tung Tung-chi, Kuang-si Tung-chi 
&c.,) but without success. 
In addition to the above statements the 
Pen-ts‘ao describes the ~j|fj 5^ Siao- 
Tiui-siang , called also SSi Shi-lo, ^ 
( HX r mEh ’ 
Tsu-mo-le (XXYI 65,) both for- 
eign names according to Li-shi-chen. This 
is also a fragrant umbelliferous plant, the 
black seeds of which are used as medicine. 
The native country is said to be Po-ssu 
(Persia). I am not able to state from this 
description, whether this is the Anise (Pim- 
pinella Anisum) as M. Hoffmann asserts. 
The Persian name of Anise is Anisun i rumi 
(rumi=Roman), the name of Fennel is badian 
or rasianeh. The drawing of the Shi-lo in 
the Ch. W. IY resembles the Fennel more 
than the Anise. 
Having in the foregoing remarks examin- 
ed the most important of the indigenous cul- 
tivated plants in China, I would now refer 
shortly to the plants introduced from other 
countries into China. 
* I would be greatly obliged if any of the readers 
of the Recorder, residing in Southern China, and es- 
pecially in Fukien, could give information about the 
districts, where the Star-anise grows. 
t This may be an example of the manner, in which 
the I-tuug-chi and other Chinese geographical works, 
issued by Imperial command in the last century, are 
got up. We err in supposing, that all the accounts of 
the several provinces and districts etc. are collected 
directly from the Chinese authorities of the respective 
countries. These works were compiled in Peking from 
the most ancient Chinese books. For instance the 
products in the Kuang-tung Tung-chi and Kuang-si 
Tung-chi etc. are enumerated and described for the 
most part, according to the Kan fang ts‘ao mu cliuang 
v. s.) a book, which appeared 1500 years ago. 
