Illicium simonsii

Illicium simonsii is in the Schisandraceae family and is native to China (western Guizhou, southwestern Sichuan and Yunnan), northeast India and northern Myanmar. It is a tree, growing up to 15 m tall.

• Branchlets are brownish green, slightly ridged, grey when older.
• Leaves are evergreen, sub-opposite or alternate, sometimes in fascicles of three to five, leathery, 5–10 cm long and 1.5–3.5 cm broad, lanceolate to elliptic, base attenuate to cuneate, tip pointed, petiole 0.7–2 cm long, narrowly winged.
• Flowers are axillary at shoot tips, on to 0.8 cm stems, with 18–23 perianth segments, thinly papery, yellow to cream, white or occasionally pink, becoming narrower towards centre; flowering lasts for most of the year but principally takes place from February to May.
• * Note that all parts of I. simonsii are very poisonous.