Common name: Aniseed Myrtle

Aniseed Myrtle is an essential-oil-yielding tree originating in Australia and occurs there on the east coast of the continent, in a small area of subtropical forest in northern New South Wales, in the vicinity of Nambucca, Bellingen and Dorrigo townships.

It may grow into a large tree in its natural forest habitats, reaching heights of up to 50 m (164 ft) or more. On open sites, it is more typically 6 to 12 m (20 to 40 ft) tall and develops a short, straight trunk supporting a densely leafy rounded or pyramidal crown. The bark is grey or grey-brown, corky and with shallow vertical fissures.

Leaves lance-shaped, 6 to 12 cm (2.4 to 4.8 in) long, wavy on the margins and arranged in pairs along the branches. They emerge crimson-red and, with age, become dark glossy green, giving off a sweet, aniseed aroma when crushed.

The flowers are small, white, four- to five-petaled with long filaments, sweetly fragrant and in branched clusters at the ends of the branches. They bloom in spring and are followed by small, funnel-shaped seed capsules that become dry and brown when mature.

Material uses

Essential oil - Steam distillation of the leaves yields an aniseed essential oil traded as 'Aniseed Myrtle Oil'. It is a clear, colourless to pale yellow, free-flowing oil with a sweet aniseed aroma, closely similar to, and a good substitute for, 'Anise oil' from Anise (Pimpinella anisum) and 'Star anise oil' from Star Anise (Illicium verum). Aniseed Myrtle leaves yield from 1.3 to 2.0% essential oil. The unique fragrance and flavour of aniseed-type essential oils come from anethole, an aromatic, volatile compound found in some plants. Anethole constitutes over 90% of Aniseed myrtle oil, about the same in anise oil, but less in star anise oil, at around 80%.

Natural fragrance - The oil is used in the cosmetic industry as a fragrance in perfumes, men's colognes and skin-care formulations.

Decay- and rot-resistant wood - The tree produces a reddish-brown wood with good natural resistance to rot, decay, and wood-boring insects, but the trees are not usually logged and may be legally protected because of their restricted distribution and scattered occurrence at only a few locations.

Edible uses

Natural flavouring - Anise-type oils are widely used in the food, beverage, and pharmaceutical industries to add flavour and aroma to baked goods, dairy desserts, teas, and liquors such as 'Anisette de Bordeaux' and 'Pastis', as well as oral hygiene products, including toothpaste and mouthwashes, and medicines, such as cough medicines.

Natural food preservative - Aniseed myrtle oil has also been shown to have antifungal and antimicrobial properties, holding promise for a variety of applications, including use as a natural food preservative.

Culinary herb - The leaves are used as a culinary herb, either fresh or dried, whole or ground into a powder. Like the essential oil, they impart their aniseed flavour to dishes, sauces, and beverages.

Health uses

Aromatherapy oil - Aniseed Myrtle oil is used in aromatherapy...

Natural stress relaxant - ...for its calming and relaxing effects.

Climate

Grows naturally in moderately humid warm-temperate to subtropical climates, generally in frost-free areas with annual lows of 10 to 16°C, annual highs of 18 to 26°C, annual rainfall of 1400 to 3000 mm and a dry season of 3 months or less.

Growing

New plants are grown from cuttings, as seeds are not always readily available. It performs best in deep, rich, free-draining clay and loam soils that are moderately acidic to neutral (pH 5.5 to 7.0), with full to partial sun exposure.

Problem features

There does not appear to be any record of it anywhere as a weed, and due to its shy seeding habit, it is unlikely to become a weed problem.

Books

• Floyd, A. G. 1979, N.S.W. rainforest trees, 2nd. ed., Forestry Commission of NSW, Sydney, Australia

• Preedy, V. R., (editor.) 2015, Essential oils in food preservation, flavor and safety, Elsevier Ltd, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

• Sultanbawa, Y. & Sultanbawa, F. 2016, Australian native plants : cultivation and uses in alternative medicine and the food industry, CRC Press, Boca Raton, Florida