Illicium mexicanum

In 1979, my family sponsored a Vietnamese refugee family to immigrate to the United States. This was nothing out of the ordinary for my parents, who brought me and my two siblings up to be unusually hospitable. The Syravong family lived with us for a period of time, and Chanh, the mother, soon found her way into the kitchen. Over the many years since, I have learned to appreciate Vietnamese cooking, and am even fairly good at preparing few dishes myself. Pho, the aromatic noodle soup, is a favorite, and I have been on a lifelong quest to find the best bowl of pho that can be found in the Pacific Northwest where I live. Recently, Michelle and I were introduced to a restaurant in Seattle called Pho Hiho, which is our current number one. Pho cannot be made without a key ingredient, star anise, which is the dried flower of Illicium verum, native to Vietnam and southeast China. Illicium verum is a small evergreen tree reaching 20-25 feet tall. This species of star anise has pale yellow flowers and is hardy to USDA Zone 8.

While I. verum has amazing characteristics, I want to introduce you to another Illicium species, I. mexicanum. It’s smaller and more shrublike, reaching only 6-8 feet tall. It is a beautiful ornamental, having dark red flowers that persist from spring through early fall. I’ve been watching a specimen at Sebright Gardens in Salem, Oregon, all year. It survived a horrific ice storm in February and several days of unprecedented heat in late June when temperatures soared over 118°F for two days. The photos accompanying this article were taken in mid-September, and the plant looks unfazed. It’s planted in rich, well-drained soil, under a canopy of oak and fir trees, and those are ideal conditions for Illicium mexicanum. There is not a lot of this species in cultivation, but it is hardy to at least 10°F and colder with some protection. It’s glossy, evergreen leaves are willow shaped and about 8 inches long, and the shrub is very balanced and eye-catching in the space it occupies. There is exciting potential for this beautiful ornamental in commercial horticulture.