Illicium parviflorum BananAppeal® (yellow anise tree)
We explained under the FLA Sunshine type why yellow-leaved anise-trees are important denizens for a garden, so we won't go into that here.
What we want you to know about BananAppeal is that it's half the size as others, forming a 3-4' tall by 3-4' wide, round shrub. So this one has a different shape, being a lower mound, rather than an upright-oval form.
Plus, the leaves don't bleach in winter sun. That's a helpful difference because it allows you more flexibility in where you plant it - you don't have to plant it in full shade.
Small anise-tree likes wet soils, but is more drought tolerant than the related species Illicium floridanum, a.k.a. Florida anise.
Anise trees are great for a shadowy, wet corner of your garden and, due to its ability to hold the yellow color in winter, BananAppeal can tolerate winter sunlight better than FLA Sunshine.
Thank you First Editions® for another terrific shrub.
- winter interest (bright leaf color)
- evergreen screening shrub
- deer resistant
- large screening shrub
- spreads by suckers and densely colonizes an area
- great for planting in low-lying wet areas in the shade
- heat tolerant
- Winter: yellow
- Spring: yellow
- Summer: yellow
- Fall: yellow
No, there is no stinky fish odor from the flowers of small anise-tree.
Are the seeds edible?
They are not edible, that's a different species: Illicium verum, star anise.
Do the leaves have a scent?
Yes, they smell like anise when crushed. It smells great! Even though it smells like a spice, the leaves aren't edible. Also, the deer don't like the strong anise smell, so they don't eat this plant. A deer has not told me this personally, but the conventional gardening wisdom is that deer don't like the leaves becuase they don't like strong-smelling plants.