(Florida Anise, Florida Anisetree, Southern Star Anisetree)

Florida or purple anise is best known for its unusual summer flowers and fragrant, evergreen leaves. ‘Southern Star’ is a variegated selection grown for its mottled ivory and green leaves. This shrub or small tree is native to moist, wooded areas across the southeastern United States, from Florida to Louisiana. Mature specimens have upright branches and develop an open habit.

Its large, leathery leaves are elliptical to lance-shaped and have a delightful anise fragrance when crushed. The nodding...

(White Florida Anise, White Florida Anisetree)

Florida anise is best known for its unusual summer flowers and fragrant, evergreen leaves. The naturally occurring forma alba has creamy white flowers rather than red. This shrub or small tree is native to moist, wooded areas across the southeastern United States, from Florida to Louisiana. Mature specimens have upright branches and develop an open habit.

Its large, leathery leaves are elliptical to lance-shaped and have a delightful anise fragrance when crushed. The nodding flowers...

(Semmes White Anisetree, White Florida Anise, White Florida Anisetree)

Florida anise is best known for its unusual summer flowers and fragrant, evergreen leaves. The tall cultivar, 'Semmes', is a white-flowered selection with larger than average leaves. This shrub or small tree is native to moist, wooded areas across the southeastern United States, from Florida to Louisiana. Mature specimens have upright branches and develop an open habit.

Its large, leathery leaves are elliptical to lance-shaped and have a delightful anise fragrance when crushed. The nodding flowers...

(Small Anisetree, Star Anise, Yellow Anisetree)

Used extensively in landscapes in its native Florida, small anisetree is a tough, handsome, evergreen that grows rather rapidly. It forms a large, broadly conical shrub or small tree. It is densely furnished with large glossy olive-green leaves which smell of licorice when crushed. Small cupped greenish-yellow flowers appear in late spring or early summer, followed by deeply ribbed cylindrical seed capsules that suggest stars. The capsules split to reveal russet-brown seeds.

Although growing...

(Japanese Iris, Variegated Japanese Iris)

Named for its beautiful variegated leaves marked with creamy white longitudinal stripes, this cultivar also features blue-violet to purple flowers early summer. The broad, ruffled, nearly horizontal petals give the flowers a flat, fluttery look, and the linear leaves are long with a prominent midrib.

Japanese iris originates from China, Russia, and Japan but has been cultivated most by the Japanese. It was first popularized in the West in the late nineteenth century when it was most prized as...

(Japanese Iris, Wine Ruffles Japanese Iris)

The flowers of ‘Wine Ruffles’ are velvety wine-purple with heavily ruffled edges. The large, flat-topped flowers are the size of an open human hand and have a contrasting yellow splash at the base of each petal.

Japanese iris originates from China, Russia, and Japan but has been cultivated most by the Japanese. It was first popularized in the West in the late nineteenth century when it was most prized as a collector's plant. Now there are hundreds of fine cultivars available of eastern and...

(Japanese Iris, Yezo-nishiki Japanese Iris)

The spectacular double flowers of ‘Yezo-nishiki’ are true violet-blue bordering on cobalt. The enormous, flat-topped blooms have a contrasting yellow splash at the base of each petal.

Japanese iris originates from China, Russia, and Japan but has been cultivated most by the Japanese. It was first popularized in the West in the late nineteenth century when it was most prized as a collector's plant. Now there are hundreds of fine cultivars available of eastern and western origin.

This...

(Henry's Garnet Virginia Sweetspire, Virginia Sweetspire)

Prized for its fragrant flowers and its splendid fall color, sweetspire is a small, deciduous, suckering shrub native to the eastern and central United States. The cultivar 'Henry's Garnet' produces relatively large panicles of creamy white flowers in late spring and early summer. In fall its oval bright green leaves change to dark red and purple, persisting into winter. The gracefully arching green or purple stems may die back in severe winters.

This award-winning plant prefers partial to full...

(Ixora)

Found throughout the tropics and comprising more than 400 evergreen trees and shrubs, ixoras are noted for their showy flowers and their handsome leathery leaves. Red, yellow, orange, pink, or white tubular flowers with flaring tips cluster in flat-topped corymbs, with the outer flowers in the cluster opening first. The blooms may be fragrant. Flowering usually occurs in summer. The fruit is a hard, fleshy berry. Most commonly cultivated ixoras are small to medium shrubs, such as the red-flowered...

(Ixora)

The brightly colored Ixora ‘Maui Sunset’ was originally selected in Hawaii. This truly tropical evergreen shrub is relatively compact. It is covered with large, leathery, elliptical leaves with opposite arrangement. As long as growing conditions are favorable, it will produce many round flower clusters comprised of lots of four-petaled blooms with long floral tubes. The brightly colored flowers are orangish yellow with hints of orange-red. They are pollinated by butterflies and followed...