Native to south-west China and north-east Vietnam, star anise has been cultivated mainly in this region for over 3,000 years. Also known as star anise or Chinese fennel, star anise is the fruit of a Chinese shrub that can grow up to 15 metres tall. Similar to magnolia, the tree can produce fruit for more than 100 years. The star anise forms a star where each point is a carpel containing a shiny seed. The carpels concentrate most of the sweet, liquorice flavour. Sparkling? With its beautiful, characteristic shape and delicious aniseed fragrance, star anise is the fruit of the Chinese badian tree, a yellow flower picked before ripening that transforms into a sparkling aniseed star.