Anise
Pimpinella anisum
Family Apiaceae
Real aniseed — the sweet licorice seed behind biscotti, pizzelle, ouzo, and the classic after-dinner tea — comes off a modest little annual you can grow in a single season. Anise fresh from your own seed heads is brighter and more perfumed than anything in a jar.
Along the way it earns its bed twice — feathery young leaves for salads, and lacy white umbels that beneficial insects patrol all summer. At 1-2 ft it tucks into any sunny gap. Sow a short row and your winter baking will taste like you meant it.
Full Sun
Moderate water
Moderate growth
Attracts bees
None winter chill
From the print shop
Growing anise? Hang it.
Our Plant Library collection carries anise — Pimpinella anisum, print Nº 22, “Anise.”
526 designsfrom $12.99white or black backgroundmatte poster, unframed
Will it fruit where you are?
Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what anise actually needs.
Life cycleAnnualAnise · Common problems
Common anise problems
Pests
1 problem on file
- Almost none
Diseases
1 problem on file
- Almost none
Anise · Growing & propagation
Growing anise
- Light
- Full Sun
- Water
- Moderate
Soil- Light, well-drained, warm · pH 6.0 - 7.0
Fertilizer- Light
Pruning- When seeds ripen (brown), cut whole heads and dry
The source of real aniseed — that sweet licorice flavor in biscotti, pizzelles, ouzo, and after-dinner digestive teas. Direct-sow after frost (it resents transplanting) and give it a long, warm season to ripen seed. The lacy flowers feed beneficial insects. Harvest the seed heads when they brown, then dry and thresh.
Spacing- 6-8 in
How to plant & propagate anise
Maturity- 100-120 days (seed)
- From seed
- Direct-sow after frost (dislikes transplant)
Long season for seed
- Propagate
- From seed
Anise · Calculators & field guides
A little help in the garden.
Anise · Yearly calendar
The anise year, month by month
Jan
No calendar activity is listed for this month.
BloomBloomJuly
What each band means
- Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.
These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.
Anise · Ecology & uses
Ecology & uses
Pimpinella anisum
Anise in the garden system
- Herbaceous layer annual
- Nectary/insectary
Attracts- Bees
- Moisture
- Facultative / average
Deer- Browsed
Protect young plants
Origin- Introduced
What anise is grown for
✓ Commonly eatenSafe (culinary); a traditional digestive
Use- Aniseed baking
- Traditional use
- Digestive tea
- Use
- Beneficials
- Edible value
- 3/5
- Traditional use rating
- 3/5 in herbal tradition
Harvesting & storing anise
Feathery leaves for salads; the SEEDS are true aniseed — for baking, liqueurs, and digestive tea. About 100-120 days (seed) from planting.
Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.
Anise · Varieties & cultivars
Choosing a anise variety
Species
Sources & plant identity
Know what you’re growing.
See where the knowledge comes from.
Anise
Pimpinella anisum
The plant, at a glance.
- Botanical name
- Pimpinella anisum
- Plant family
- Apiaceae
- Growth habit
- Annual
- Origin
- Introduced
- USDA plant symbol
- PIAN3
- Invasive risk
- Low
Hardiness, size and timing vary with your cultivar, soil and climate.
Rooted in research.
University extension research, brought together with hands-on growing experience at Story Thyme Farms.
Questions
Anise questions, answered straight.
Is anise safe for kids and pets?
Anise is commonly eaten and isn't considered toxic, but "commonly eaten" isn't a guarantee for any particular person or animal — allergies, quantity, and which part you eat all matter. One caveat on this one: culinary); a traditional digestive. Never eat a plant you haven't positively identified, and check with a vet before letting pets or livestock graze anything new.
When do you harvest anise?
Feathery leaves for salads; the SEEDS are true aniseed — for baking, liqueurs, and digestive tea. From planting, expect about 100-120 days (seed) to maturity.
How do you propagate anise?
From seed.
Elsewhere
Where anise sits in the library.
Comfrey
Lavender
Rosemary
Anise Hyssop