star anise

Star anise, star aniseed or Chinese star anise, (Chinese: , pinyin: bājiǎo, lit. "eight-horn") is a spice that closely resembles anise in flavor, obtained from the star-shaped pericarp of Illicium verum, a small native evergreen tree of southwest China. The star shaped fruits are harvested just before ripening. It is widely used in Chinese cuisine, in Indian cuisine where it is a major component of garam masala, and in Indonesian cuisine. It is widely grown for commercial use in China, India, and most other countries in Asia. Star anise is an ingredient of the traditional five-spice powder of Chinese cooking. It is also one of the ingredients used to make the broth for the Vietnamese noodle soup called phở. It is used as a spice in preparation of Biryani in Andhra Pradesh, a south Indian State.
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Noun
1. small tree of China and Vietnam bearing anise-scented star-shaped fruit used in food and medicinally as a carminative
(synonym) Chinese anise, Illicium verum
(hypernym) anise tree
(member-holonym) Illicium, genus Illicium
(part-meronym) Chinese anise, star aniseed
2. small shrubby tree of Japan and Taiwan; flowers are not fragrant
(synonym) Illicium anisatum
(hypernym) anise tree
(member-holonym) Illicium, genus Illicium
3. anise-scented star-shaped fruit or seed used in Oriental cooking and medicine
(synonym) Chinese anise, star aniseed
(hypernym) spice
(substance-holonym) five spice powder
(part-holonym) Chinese anise, Illicium verum