Botanical Name : Illicium verum Family : Magnoliaceae Introduction Illicium comes from the Latin illicio meaning “entice” or “seduce”. Verum means “true” or “genuine”. Badiyan or Star anise oil, known for its strong fragrance, is widely used in cooking, perfumery, soaps, toothpastes, mouthwashes, and skin creams. Names in different languages English – Star anise Hindi- Badiyan Morphology It is a medium-sized evergreen tree. The leaves are aromatic, simple, lanceolate to obovate-elliptic, measuring 5–15 cm × 2–5 cm, and coriaceous. Flowers are solitary, bisexual, pink to dark red, with 7–12 spiral perianth lobes, 11–20 stamens, and typically 8 free carpels. Tepals … Continue reading Badiyan