aniseroot

not listed

N5? - Secure

SNR - Unranked

not listed

FAC - Facultative

FACU - Facultative upland

FACU - Facultative upland

Aniseroot is a common woodland wildflower. It occurs in the United States from Maine and Georgia west to Montana and New Mexico, and in adjacent Canadian provinces. It is common in Minnesota. It is found in dense to open, bottomland and upland woodlands, on the slopes of ravines, and on streambanks. It grows under dappled sunlight to moderate shade in moist to moderately moist loamy soil. It grows in high quality sites and does not tolerate

Aniseroot is an erect, perennial, herbaceous forb that rises from a cluster of tuberous-thickened roots. It can be 12″ to 60″ (30 to 150 cm) tall but in Minnesota it is usually no more than 30″ (76 cm) in height. The roots are spindle-shaped and fleshy, and tend to be vertically oriented. They break with a snap and have a strong, sweet, anise-like fragrance.

The stems are erect or curving up from the base (ascending) and may be branched or unbranched. They are usually sparsely to densely covered with long, soft, spreading, or shaggy hairs. Sometimes they are hairless.

The main leaves are alternate, 1½″ to 10″ (4 to 25 cm) long, and broadly triangular egg-shaped in outline. They are on 2″ to 6″ (5 to 15 cm) long leaf stalks (petioles). The base of the petiole surrounds (sheaths) the stem and is not inflated or is only slightly inflated. The leaf blade is two or three times divided. It is divided into three primary leaflets (ternate); each primary leaflet is again divided into three secondary leaflets; and the secondary leaflets may be divided, lobed, or undivided. The secondary leaflet is egg-shaped to oblong lance-shaped, sharply pointed at the tip, 1½″ to 4″ (4 to 10 cm) long, and ¾″ to 2″ (2 to 5 cm) wide. The upper and lower surfaces may be sparsely covered with small, coarse, stiff hairs, especially along the veins, or they may be almost hairless. The margins are toothed. The leaves become smaller and less divided as they ascend the stem. There are often basal leaves, and one or two of these may be present at flowering time.

The inflorescence is a loose, compound, umbrella-shaped cluster (umbel) at the end of the stem and each branch, and sometimes from an upper leaf axil. The umbels are dense and crowded. Each umbel is round, more or less flat-topped, and 1½″ to 3″ (4 to 8 cm) in diameter. It is at the end of a 2″ to 5″ (5 to 13 cm) long stalk (peduncle). At the base of the umbel there is a whorl (involucre) of 1 to 3 or 4 linear to lance-shaped modified leaves (bracts). The bracts are usually 3⁄16″ to ⅜″ (5 to 10 mm) long, sometimes up to ⅝″ (15 mm) long, and 1⁄32″ to 1⁄16″ (1.0 to 1.5 mm) wide. They are sharply pointed, densely hairy along the margins, and usually bent backward. This involucre is rarely absent.

Each umbel has 4 to 6, sometimes 8, slender branches (rays). Each ray is ascending and ⅝″ to 2″ (1.5 to 5.0 cm) long, sometimes longer. At the end of each ray is a smaller, secondary umbel (umbellet). At the base of each umbellet there is a whorl (involucel) of 4 to 6 linear lance-shaped to egg-shaped bractlets. The bractlets are ⅛″ to ¼″ (2.5 to 6.0 mm) long and 1⁄32″ to 1⁄16″ (0.7 to 1.8 mm) wide. They are similar to the bracts and are often strongly bent backward.

Each umbellet has 9 to 18 slender branches (raylets). Each raylet is ascending and 3⁄16″ to 5⁄16″ (5 to 8 mm) long, sometimes longer. At the end of each raylet is a single tiny flower. Most umbellets produce 3 to 5 or more hermaphrodite flowers, with both male and female reproductive parts, and 4 to 10 or more male (staminate) flowers. One or two umbellets in each umbel produce only staminate flowers. The central flower is usually stalkless and staminate.

Each flower is 3⁄16″ to ¼″ (5 to 6 mm) in diameter and has no sepals, 5 petals, 5 stamens, and 2 styles. The corolla is showy. The petals are white, inversely lance-shaped to inversely egg-shaped, rounded and inwardly curved at the tip, with a short, sharp point at the tip. On hermaphrodite flowers they are 1⁄16″ to ⅛″ (1.5 to 2.5 mm) long, on staminate flowers they are 1⁄32″ to 1⁄16″ (1.0 to 1.5 mm) long. The stamens and styles are white. Each style, together with the disk-like expansion (styleopodium) at its base, is 1⁄16″to ⅛″ (2.0 to 3.6 mm) long.

The fruit is a flattened, linear to oblong lance-shaped, slightly curved, ⅝″ to 13⁄16″ (15 to 21 mm) long seed capsule containing 2 seeds. It is green at first, with the styles at the tip persisting for a short time. It has 5 ribs with stiff, ascending, bristly hairs on the ribs.

12″ to 30″ (30 to 76 cm)

White

Bland sweet cicely (Osmorhiza claytonii) roots have a rank odor or a weak anise-like fragrance. Hairs on the stem are longer and are straight. Crushed foliage does not have an anise-like fragrance. Umbels are loose, not crowded. There are only 4 to 7 flowers per umbellet. Flowers are smaller, ⅛″ (3 to 4 mm) in diameter. The style plus stylopodium is shorter, 1⁄64″ to 1⁄16″ (0.5 to 1.5 mm) long. Significantly fewer flowers and smaller, uncrowded umbellets combine to make the inflorescence much less showy.

Moist to moderately moist. Dense to open woodlands, ravines, streambanks. Dappled sunlight to moderate shade. Loamy soil.

May to June

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 24, 28, 29, 30.

Native

Common

Four varieties have been described. O. l. var. longistylis is nearly hairless, O. l. var. villicaulis is moderately hairy. None of the varieties have been widely accepted.

Location: Eagles Bluff Park in La Crescent, MN