Japanese Star Anise (Illicium Anisatum) シキミ（樒）

英語の後に日本語が続きます。

Japanese star anise (Illicium anisatum) is native to Japan and can be found across the country. The plant produces pretty cream white flowers from March to May and fruits from September to October but it's toxic in its entirety and the toxicity of the fruits and seeds is quite high, resulting in death when eaten. The thing is the fruits resemble those of Chinese star anise (Illicium verum) very much, which are used in cooking, so the mistaking of Japanese star anise for Chinese ones could lead to fatal accidents. The tree grows in my neighborhood without any protection, so I did research, wondering if the tree might be Chinese star anise but it's not. Chinese star anise flowers are red. For their toxic nature, Japanese star anise fruits are designated as a deleterious substance under Poisonous Deleterious Substances Control Act in Japan but the growing the plant is not prohibited.

2026/3/31

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シキミ（樒）です。日本原産であちこちで見られます。果実は中華料理でよく使う八角とそっくりなのですが、八角とは違い、食べると死ぬ可能性があるほどの猛毒を含んでいます。そのため植物としては唯一、毒物及び劇物取締法により劇物に指定されています。別名「毒八角」納得です。

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