True Anise Seeds ~Pimpinella anisum~ Sweet Cumin ~ Aniseed ~ Mediterranean Herb ~ Ancient Spice ~ Annual

True Anise (Pimpinella anisum) is one of humanity's oldest cultivated spices, prized for its distinctive sweet licorice-like flavor. This delicate annual herb bears umbels of tiny white flowers above ferny foliage, followed by the aromatic seeds that have flavored foods and drinks for millennia.

Growing 18-24 inches (45-60 cm) tall, anise develops in stages - first forming a rosette of rounded basal leaves, then sending up stems with increasingly feathery foliage, culminating in airy umbels of flowers that develop into the coveted rippled seeds.



Cultivation: Sow directly in spring once soil has warmed, as plants resent transplanting. Prefers full sun and well-draining, fertile soil. Space plants 6-8 inches apart. Seeds take 14-21 days to emerge. Requires long, warm growing season to produce mature seeds.

For best results, plant in a sheltered spot where the delicate stems can be supported if needed. Seeds should be harvested when they turn grey-brown but before they scatter. Essential in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine, the seeds are used in baking, confectionery, and traditional digestive liqueurs.