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Illicium parviflorum

Michx. ex Vent.

Yellow Anisetree

G2Imperiled (G2G3) Found in 2 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G2ImperiledGlobal Rank
High - mediumThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.153827
Element CodePDILL01020
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
Endemicendemic to a single state or province
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderIlliciales
FamilySchisandraceae
GenusIllicium
Other Common Names
Ocala Anise-tree (EN) Swamp Star-anise (EN) Yellow-anise (EN) yellow anisetree (EN) Yellow Anise-tree (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2025-04-29
Change Date2025-05-12
Edition Date2025-04-04
Edition AuthorsFNAI (1999), rev. L. Oliver (2015), rev. C. Nordman (2025).
Threat ImpactHigh - medium
Range Extent1000-5000 square km (about 400-2000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences6 - 80
Rank Reasons
Yellow Anisetree (Illicium parviflorum) occurs in the southeastern United States. It is endemic to central Florida, with occurrences in Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties. It is a large evergreen shrub up to 7 meters tall, which occurs in hydric hammocks and floodplain swamps along relatively large, clear spring-fed streams, seepage streams and in bayheads. It is estimated that there are about 25 occurrences rangewide. It is threatened by habitat destruction, especially clearcutting, development, or alteration of the required hydrology, and by over collection for the horticulture trade. There are protected occurrences on Ocala National Forest at several locations, including within Alexander Springs Wilderness, and on some Florida State Parks, Preserves, and Wildlife Management Areas.
Range Extent Comments
Yellow Anisetree (Illicium parviflorum) occurs in the southeastern United States. It is endemic to central Florida, with occurrences in Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole and Volusia counties. It has been reported from Georgia, based on cultivated plants, or plants that originated from landscape plantings (Chafin 2000, Chafin 2007). Range extent was estimated to be about 2500 square kilometers, using herbarium specimens and NatureServe Network occurrence data collected between 1994 and 2025 (GBIF 2025, NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025, SEINet 2025).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium specimens, and NatureServe Network occurrence data documented between 1994 and 2025, it is estimated that there are about 24 occurrences of Illicium parviflorum rangewide (NatureServe 2025, RARECAT 2025). This species has been reported from Georgia, however, it is known that it never occurred as a native plant there, although it is widely used in landscaping (Chafin 2000, Chafin 2007).
Threat Impact Comments
Habitat destruction and over collection for the horticulture trade are primary threats to Yellow Anisetree, drainage and other hydrological alterations, tree harvesting or logging, particularly clear-cutting, would also be detrimental (Kral 1983). Climate change could lead to hydrological changes for the wetland sites where it occurs (USFWS 2019). There is some evidence that in-breeding depression may be driving low seed set and low seed viability (Buckley 2012).
Ecology & Habitat

Diagnostic Characteristics

Illicium parviflorum may be characterized by its leaf tips which are blunt rather than sharply acute or acuminate (as in the more widespread I. floridanum), by its smaller, greenish-yellow flowers, and by its somewhat smaller fruit (Kral 1983).

Habitat

Illicium parviflorum occurs in the Florida Peninsula in karst areas, on continually moist soil, on sandy loam or sandy peat muck soils in hydric hammocks and floodplain swamps along relatively large, clear spring-fed streams, seepage streams and in bayheads with Chamaecyparis thyoides, Acer rubrum, Magnolia virginiana, Agarista populifolia, Sabal palmetto, Quercus nigra, Quercus laurifolia, Quercus virginiana, Tilia caroliniana, Sabal minor, Rhapidophyllum hystrix, Ilex cassine, Morella cerifera, Cyrilla racemiflora, and Persea palustris. In the natural occurrences, it is nearly restricted to habitats with continually moist soils, rarely spreading upslope, to mesic hammock or edges of xeric hammock, but in cultivation is "much more drought tolerant than I. floridanum" (Kral 1983, Godfrey 1988, Chafin 2000, NatureServe 2025). It occurs at elevations between 0 and 70 meters (FNA 1997).

Ecology

Illicium parviflorum occurs in 3 metapopulations (USFWS 2019).

Reproduction

Illicium parviflorum flowers in May and June (Kral 1983). "While large numbers of flowers have been observed in natural populations, low fruit production appears to be common". It apparently has low seed set, and also reproduces clonally, via root sprouting (Newell and Morris 2010). Flowers of Illicium parviflorum are not self-incompatible and it apparently relies primarily, but not exclusively, on outcrossing. "Seeds collected from self-pollinations were smaller than those collected from out-crosses, suggesting that inbreeding may be reducing fitness within populations" (Buckley 2012).
Palustrine Habitats
FORESTED WETLANDRiparian
Other Nations (1)
United StatesN2
ProvinceRankNative
GeorgiaSNANo
FloridaS2Yes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
1 - Residential & commercial developmentRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
1.1 - Housing & urban areasRestricted (11-30%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
5 - Biological resource usePervasive (71-100%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)
5.2 - Gathering terrestrial plantsPervasive (71-100%)Moderate - slightHigh (continuing)
11 - Climate change & severe weatherPervasive (71-100%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
11.1 - Habitat shifting & alterationPervasive (71-100%)Moderate or 11-30% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

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Plant Characteristics
DurationPERENNIAL, Long-lived, SPRING-FLOWERING, SUMMER-FLOWERING
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (2)
Florida (2)
AreaForestAcres
Alexander Springs CreekOcala National Forest2,954
Farles PrairieOcala National Forest1,901
References (16)
  1. Buckley, N. E. 2012. Mating system biology of the Florida native plant: <i>Illicium parviflorum</i>. Master's thesis, University of Tennessee. Available at: http://trace.tennessee.edu/utk_gradthes/1310 (Accessed June 8, 2015).
  2. Chafin, L. G. 2000. Field guide to the rare plants of Florida. Florida Natural Areas Inventory, Tallahassee. [https://www.fnai.org/]
  3. Chafin, L.G. 2007. Field guide to the rare plants of Georgia. State Botanical Garden of Georgia, Athens, Georgia.
  4. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 1997. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 3. Magnoliophyta: Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiii + 590 pp.
  5. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2025. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2025).
  6. Godfrey, R.K. 1988. Trees, shrubs, and woody vines of northern Florida and adjacent Georgia and Alabama. Univ. Georgia Press, Athens. 734 pp.
  7. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  8. Kevan, P.G. 1984. Pollination by animals and angiosperm biosystematics. In W.F. Grant (ed.), Plant biosystematics: Symposium, 271-292. Academic Press Canada.
  9. Knuth, P. 1908. Handbook for flower pollination. Clarendon Press, Oxford, United Kingdom.
  10. Kral, R. 1983c. A report on some rare, threatened, or endangered forest-related vascular plants of the South. U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Forest Service Technical Publication R8-TP2, Athens, GA. 1305 pp.
  11. NatureServe. 2025. NatureServe Network Biodiversity Location Data. NatureServe, Arlington, Virginia.
  12. <p>NatureServe's Rapid Analysis of Rarity and Endangerment Conservation Assessment Tool (RARECAT). 2025. Version: 2.1.1 (released April 04, 2025).</p>
  13. Southwest Environmental Information Network (SEINet). 2025. Collections Databases. Online. Available: https://swbiodiversity.org/seinet/collections/index.php (accessed 2025).
  14. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). 2019. Twelve Species Not Warranted for Listing as Endangered or Threatened Species. Notice of findings. Federal Register 84(194): 53336-53343.
  15. Weakley, A.S., and Southeastern Flora Team. 2024. Flora of the southeastern United States. Edition of March 4, 2024. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU), North Carolina Botanical Garden, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 2203 pp.
  16. Zomlefer, W. B. 1994. Guide to Flowering Plant Families. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC. 430 pp.