VietnameseOriginsSearch

Origin guide

Star Anise

The dried fruit of an evergreen tree from the hills on either side of the China–Vietnam border. This guide follows it from the tree to the export market.

Last reviewed · 15 sources · How we know

A pile of dried star anise with whole stars, broken follicles and stalks mixed together
Dried star anise in bulk, uploaded to Commons as Illicium verum: whole stars, broken follicles and stalks mixed together. The file does not record where this lot was grown.Photo: Fumikas Sagisavas· CC0 · source · Resized

In short

Star anise is the dried, star-shaped fruit of Illicium verum, an evergreen tree native to southern China and northern Vietnam. China grows most of the world’s crop; Vietnam is the second-largest producer, and its star anise comes mainly from the border province of Lạng Sơn (Lang Son).

Quick facts

Species
Illicium verum, family Schisandraceae3,4
Part used
Dried fruit: usually eight follicles in a star, one seed in each3,5
Native range
Southern and western Guangxi (China) to northern Vietnam1
World production
China about 80%; Vietnam second6Guangxi grew over 90% of China’s crop in 2018
Grown in Vietnam
Lạng Sơn, Cao Bằng, Quảng Ninh, Bắc Kạn2
Harvests
Main autumn crop roughly August–October; smaller spring crop roughly January/February–April7,8,3sources disagree by about a month
Exports, 2025
14,307 tonnes, US$58.7 million9as reported by the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association
Largest markets, 2025
India 9,896 t (about 70%) · United States 1,030 t9
Geographical indication
Lạng Sơn star anise, protected in Vietnam since 20078

Star anise is grown commercially in two neighbouring regions: Guangxi in southern China and the northern border provinces of Vietnam. Start with where star anise comes from — the growing regions, the two harvests, drying, grading and trade, with every figure dated and sourced. The guides below cover how it differs from other spices and look-alikes.

Botanical plate of Illicium verum: a leafy branch with glossy, pointed leaves and small pink-red flowers, with flower parts drawn separately below
Illicium verum in Curtis’s Botanical Magazine, Tab. 7005 (1888), signed “M.S. del.” and “C.H. Fitch lith.”. The text that accompanies the plate says the plant producing the true star anise of China is “here for the first time figured and described”, and gives it as native of South China. Drawn from a plant at Kew; it shows flowers, not fruit.Photo: M.S. (Matilda Smith), del.; C.H. Fitch, lith.; Curtis’s Botanical Magazine vol. 114, L. Reeve & Co., London· Public domain · source · Page 101 of the scanned volume extracted; resized

From tree to trade

Six steps take star anise from the tree to the export market. Each step links to the sources behind it.

  1. 01Place

    Border provinces

    Lạng Sơn, Cao Bằng, Quảng Ninh and Bắc Kạn, across the border from Guangxi.2

  2. 02Plant

    An evergreen tree

    Illicium verum grows 8–15 m tall and bears commercial fruit from roughly 7–10 years, for decades after.5,2

  3. 03Harvest

    Picked green, twice a year

    Fruit is picked green, before it splits, in a main autumn crop and a smaller spring crop.5,7

  4. 04Process

    Dried to brown

    Sun-and-cover drying or a sack kiln at 30–40 °C for 12–18 hours; 100 kg of fresh fruit gives 25–30 kg dried.10,3

  5. 05Grade

    Whole stars and broken

    ISO 11178 and Vietnam’s TCVN 8852 specify the product; offers distinguish autumn from spring crop and whole from broken.11,12,13

  6. 06Use & world

    Spice and industry

    The essential oil is mostly trans-anethole; the fruit is also a natural source of shikimic acid.4,14

Fresh green star anise fruits in a palm (left) beside dried brown star anise in a sack (right)
Fresh and dried star anise from the same farm in Guangxi, China, photographed on 27 October 2005: green fruit with closed follicles (left), dried brown stars in a sack (right). Two photographs; the dried stars are not necessarily the same lot.Photos: fuzheado· CC BY-SA 2.0 · source · Combined from “Guangxi - star anise farm in china 2005” and “Guangxi - star anise farm in china 2005 6782” by fuzheado, both CC BY-SA 2.0 on Wikimedia Commons; cropped to square panels and labelled

Guides

  • Where star anise comes from — Guangxi and Lạng Sơn, provinces and former districts, the autumn and spring crops, drying, ISO and TCVN grading, the Lạng Sơn geographical indication, and why production figures disagree.
  • Star anise vs anise seed — two unrelated plants that share an aroma compound, compared species to species.
  • Japanese vs Chinese star anise — how the toxic look-alike Illicium anisatum differs from the spice, why the dried fruits cannot be told apart by eye, which laboratory methods can, and what to ask a supplier.
Chinese and Japanese star anise side by side: Illicium verum dried fruit (left) and Illicium anisatum fruit (right), not to scale
Chinese and Japanese star anise side by side: a dried fruit of Illicium verum (left) and a mature fruit of Illicium anisatum on the branch in Japan (right). Not to scale. Two separate photographs, taken under different conditions.Photos: Bff; Alpsdake· CC BY-SA 4.0 · source · Combined from “Illicium verum20170511 7549” by Bff and “Illicium anisatum (fruits s10)” by Alpsdake, both CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons; cropped to square panels and labelled

Where it grows

In Vietnam, star anise grows in Lạng Sơn, Cao Bằng, Quảng Ninh and former Bắc Kạn, now part of Thái Nguyên.2,15 Lạng Sơn is the centre of the crop: see the Lạng Sơn region page for the province on the map and its sourced facts.

Image credits

  1. “Star anise ~ Illicium verum” by Fumikas Sagisavas, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC0. Resized; converted to WebP.
  2. “Curtis's botanical magazine. (IA mobot31753002721899).pdf, page 101” by M.S. (Matilda Smith), del.; C.H. Fitch, lith.; Curtis’s Botanical Magazine vol. 114, L. Reeve & Co., London, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed Public domain. Page 101 of the scanned volume extracted; resized; converted to WebP.
  3. “Fresh vs dried star anise, Guangxi (composite)” by fuzheado, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 2.0. Combined from “Guangxi - star anise farm in china 2005” and “Guangxi - star anise farm in china 2005 6782” by fuzheado, both CC BY-SA 2.0 on Wikimedia Commons; cropped to square panels and labelled. This combined image is licensed CC BY-SA 2.0.
  4. “Japanese star anise vs Chinese star anise (composite)” by Bff; Alpsdake, via Wikimedia Commons, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Combined from “Illicium verum20170511 7549” by Bff and “Illicium anisatum (fruits s10)” by Alpsdake, both CC BY-SA 4.0 on Wikimedia Commons; cropped to square panels and labelled. This combined image is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Sources

15 sources · 5 primary · 7 scientific · 1 industry · 1 secondary · 1 commercial. Source classes and how we weigh them: methodology.

  1. 1

    Illicium verum Hook.f.

    ScientificPlants of the World Online, Royal Botanic Gardens, KewAccessed 2026-10-07Read from a search excerpt — check in a browser

    Native range “China (S. & W. Guangxi) to N. Vietnam”, read from a search excerpt; the page blocks automated access.

  2. 2

    [Star anise production and trade in Lạng Sơn (Sáng & Nguyệt 2021)]

    ScientificNguyễn Văn Sáng, Bùi Thị Minh NguyệtTạp chí Khoa học và Công nghệ Lâm nghiệp, số 5-2021, tr. 175–1802021Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Four growing provinces; Lạng Sơn area and output 2017–2020 and district shares (from the Lạng Sơn Statistics Office). Does not say whether tonnes are fresh or dried.

  3. 3

    Illicium verum Hook.f.

    ScientificVu Ngoc LôPROSEA (Plant Resources of South-East Asia) No. 13: Spices1999Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Botany, cultivation, fresh-to-dry ratio, oil composition, China and Vietnam as the main producers. Production figures in this 1999 text are historical and not used as current.

  4. 4

    Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of an essential oil derived from the fruit of Illicium verum Hook.f. (star anise oil)

    PrimaryEFSA Journal 21(7):e08182 (EFSA FEEDAP Panel)2023Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Quotes Ph. Eur. 11.0 for star anise fruit (≥ 70 mL/kg oil, ≥ 86.0% trans-anethole); GC–MS analysis of seven recent batches, all originating from China (Table 3), and GC-FID analysis of four batches against the specification (Table 2); “often used as a cheaper substitute for anise fruit”.

  5. 5

    Illicium verum — Agroforestree Database 4.0

    ScientificOrwa C, Mutua A, Kindt R, Jamnadass R, Simons AWorld Agroforestry (ICRAF)2009Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Tree size, fruit structure, flowering age, yields, ecology, biological fruiting cycle.

  6. 6

    [Review of Illicium verum (Zou et al., Molecules 2023)]

    ScientificZou et al.Molecules 28(21):73782023Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    China about 80% of world output; Guangxi over 90% of China’s output in 2018; Vietnam second.

  7. 7

    Sức vươn xa của loài hoa tám cánh ở xứ Lạng

    SecondaryVnBusinessAccessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Văn Quan area and harvest months. Publication date not shown on the page.

  8. 8

    Hoa hồi — sản vật đặc trưng của xứ Lạng

    PrimaryMinistry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam2022-08-31Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Domestic geographical-indication protection in 2007; harvest timing in lunar months. Promotional claims about quality are not used.

  9. 9

    Exports of star anise to Thailand have surged

    IndustryAEC-VCCI, reporting the Vietnam Pepper and Spice Association (VPSA)2026-02-09Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    2025 exports by volume, value and market.

  10. 10

    [Colour treatment of star anise fruit in Lạng Sơn (Dưỡng & Phương 2014)]

    ScientificNguyễn Văn Dưỡng, Vũ Thị Hoàng PhươngTạp chí Khoa học Lâm nghiệp 4/2014, tr. 3627–3633 (VAFS)2014Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Three traditional colour-treatment methods; samples picked in September in Văn Quan.

  11. 11

    ISO 11178:1995 Star anise (Illicium verum Hook. f.) — Specification

    PrimaryInternational Organization for Standardization1995Accessed 2026-10-07Title and status only (paid text)

    Reviewed and confirmed in 2024. Numeric limits not read (paid text).

  12. 12

    TCVN 8852:2011 Hoa đại hồi (Illicium verum Hook. f.)

    PrimaryVietnam national standard (summary on hethongphapluat.com)2011Accessed 2026-10-07Title and status only (paid text)

    Scope and definition read; the table of physico-chemical limits is behind a paywall and not reproduced.

  13. 13

    [Vietnamese star anise export listings (Tridge, freshdi)]

    CommercialCommercial listings by Vietnamese exportersAccessed 2026-10-07Read from a search excerpt — check in a browser

    Seller claims: autumn crop larger and better coloured than spring crop; one seller’s specification. Shown only as what sellers state.

  14. 14

    [Shikimic acid supply for oseltamivir (Washam, EHP 2006)]

    ScientificWasham CEnvironmental Health Perspectives 114(8)2006Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Roche’s move from extracting shikimic acid from star anise to E. coli fermentation.

  15. 15

    Nghị quyết 202/2025/QH15 về việc sắp xếp đơn vị hành chính cấp tỉnh

    PrimaryNational Assembly of Vietnam (text on luatvietnam.vn)2025-06-12Accessed 2026-10-07Read in full

    Yên Bái merged into Lào Cai; Quảng Nam into Đà Nẵng city; Kon Tum into Quảng Ngãi; Bắc Kạn into Thái Nguyên; Bình Phước into Đồng Nai (point 17; checked against the hoatieu.vn copy of the text on 2026-10-07). In force 1 July 2025.