Plant Profile: Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire'

Names

Aztec Fire, Mexican Anise-tree

  • Photo of Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire' (Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire's)

Phonetic Spelling:il-LISS-ee-um flor-ih-DAY-num

Genus:Illicium

Species:floridanum

Family:Schisandraceae

The Mexican Anise-tree 'Aztec Fire' is a striking evergreen shrub characterized by its attractive, dark glossy green leaves and pyramidal shape. This variety is closely related to the more familiar Florida anise and is distinguished by its unique burgundy flowers.

While 'Aztec Fire' can tolerate full sun, it truly flourishes in partial shade and requires consistently moist or wet soil to thrive. It’s important to provide ample space for this native plant, as it typically grows to about 8 feet tall and 6 feet wide, showcasing its natural pyramidal form.

This evergreen beauty is ideally suited for large shrub borders and can also enhance a naturalized landscape. Notably, anise shrubs exposed to full sun tend to have lighter green foliage compared to those in partial shade. Consider incorporating this stunning plant into your home garden for a striking visual impact.

For further details on Illicium floridanum, please refer to additional resources.

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire' Feature Summary

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire' Image Gallery

Tags

#evergreen
#low maintenance
#winter interest
#wet sites
#glossy leaves
#showstopper
#evergreen shrub
#wet soils tolerant
#woodlands

Similar Plants

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire' is often confused with:

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire' Feature Summary

Flowers
2" across fragrant, showy dark burgundy colored flowers bloom from spring through fall.
Red/Burgundy
Fragrant
Showy
Long Bloom Season
Spring
Summer
Fall
1-3 inches
Attributes
Whole Plant Traits
Cultural Conditions
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
Acid (<6.0)
Moist
Occasionally Wet
Frequent Standing Water
Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont
Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Leaves
Elliptical
Ovate
3-6 inches
Smooth
Leathery
Fleshy
Rubbery
Waxy
Fragrant
Long-lasting
1-3 inches
Landscape
Winter Garden
Rain Garden
Shade Garden
Border
Hedge
Mass Planting
Accent
Screen/Privacy
Specimen
Woodland
Naturalized Area

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire' Flowers

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Flower Description

2" across fragrant, showy dark burgundy colored flowers bloom from spring through fall.

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Flower Color

filter_vintage
Red/Burgundy

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Flower Inflorescence

Catkin
Corymb
Cyme
Head
Insignificant
Panicle
Raceme
Solitary
Spadix
Spike
Umbel

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Flower Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long Bloom Season
Long-lasting
Showy

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Flower Bloom Time

Winter
Spring
Summer
Fall

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Flower Size

1-3 inches
3-6 inches
< 1 inch
> 6 inches

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire' Attributes

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Life Cycle

Annual
Biennial
Bulb
Perennial
Woody

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Recommended Propagation Strategy

Division
Grafting
Layering
Leaf Cutting
Root Cutting
Seed
Stem Cutting

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Play Value

Attractive Flowers
Attracts Pollinators
Buffer
Colorful
Defines Paths
Easy to Grow
Edible fruit
Fragrance
Pieces Used in Games
Screening
Shade
Sound
Textural
Wildlife Cover/Habitat
Wildlife Food Source
Wildlife Larval Host
Wildlife Nesting
Wind Break
Wind Shimmer

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire' Whole Plant Traits

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Plant Type

Annual
Bulb
Carnivorous
Edible
Epiphyte
Fern
Ground Cover
Herb
Herbaceous Perennial
Houseplant
Mushroom
Native Plant
Ornamental Grasses and Sedges
Perennial
Poisonous
Rose
Shrub
Succulent
Tree
Turfgrass
Vegetable
Vine
Water Plant
Weed
Wildflower

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Habit/Form

Arching
Ascending
Broad
Cascading
Climbing
Clumping
Columnar
Conical
Creeping
Dense
Erect
Horizontal
Irregular
Mounding
Multi-stemmed
Multi-trunked
Open
Oval
Prostrate
Pyramidal
Rounded
Spreading
Vase
Weeping

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Growth Rate

Slow
Medium
Rapid

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Maintenance

Low
Medium
High

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Texture

Fine
Medium
Coarse

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire' Cultural Conditions

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Light

Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day)
Deep shade (Less than 2 hours to no direct sunlight)
Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Soil pH

Acid (<6.0)
Alkaline (>8.0)
Neutral (6.0-8.0)

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Soil Drainage

Frequent Standing Water
Good Drainage
Moist
Occasional Flooding
Occasionally Dry
Occasionally Wet
Very Dry

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Available Space To Plant

12 inches-3 feet
12-24 feet
24-60 feet
3 feet-6 feet
6-feet-12 feet
Less than 12 inches
more than 60 feet

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': NC Region

Coastal
Mountains
Piedmont

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': USDA Plant Hardiness Zone

thermostat
7a
thermostat
7b
thermostat
8a
thermostat
8b
thermostat
9a
thermostat
9b

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Soil Texture

Clay
High Organic Matter
Loam (Silt)
Sand
Shallow Rocky

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire' Leaves

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics

Broadleaf Evergreen
Deciduous
Needled Evergreen
Semi-evergreen

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Leaf Color

spa
Green

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Leaf Type

Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Fronds
Needles
Sheath
Simple

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Leaf Arrangement

Alternate
Opposite
Other/more complex
Rosulate
Whorled

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Leaf Shape

Acicular
Auriculate
Cordate
Cuneate
Deltoid
Elliptical
Filiform
Lanceolate
Linear
Oblanceolate
Oblong
Obovate
Obtuse
Orbicular
Ovate
Palmasect
Palmatifid
Peltate
Pinnatifid
Pinnatisect
Reniform
Rhomboidal
Spatulate
Subcordate
Subulate

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Leaf Margin

Crenate
Crenulate
Dentate
Denticulate
Doubly Crenate
Doubly Dentate
Doubly Serrate
Entire
Lobed
Serrate
Sinuate
Undulate

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Hairs Present

No
Yes

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Leaf Length

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Leaf Feel

Fleshy
Glossy
Leathery
Papery
Prickly
Rough
Rubbery
Slippery
Smooth
Soft
Velvety
Waxy

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Leaf Value To Gardener

Edible
Fragrant
Good Cut
Good Dried
Long-lasting
Showy

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Leaf Width

< 1 inch
1-3 inches
3-6 inches
> 6 inches

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire' Stem

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Stem Is Aromatic

No
Yes

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire' Landscape

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Landscape Theme

Asian Garden
Butterfly Garden
Children's Garden
Cottage Garden
Cutting Garden
Drought Tolerant Garden
Edible Garden
English Garden
Fairy Garden
Garden for the Blind
Native Garden
Nighttime Garden
Pollinator Garden
Rain Garden
Rock Garden
Shade Garden
Water Garden
Winter Garden

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Design Feature

Accent
Barrier
Border
Flowering Tree
Foundation Planting
Hedge
Mass Planting
Screen/Privacy
Security
Shade Tree
Small groups
Small Tree
Specimen
Street Tree
Understory Tree

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Resistance To Challenges

Black Walnut
Compaction
Deer
Diseases
Drought
Dry Soil
Erosion
Fire
Foot Traffic
Heat
Heavy Shade
Humidity
Insect Pests
Pollution
Poor Soil
Rabbits
Salt
Slugs
Squirrels
Storm damage
Urban Conditions
Voles
Wet Soil
Wind

Illicium floridanum 'Aztec Fire': Landscape Location

Coastal
Container
Hanging Baskets
Houseplants
Lawn
Meadow
Naturalized Area
Near Septic
Patio
Pond
Pool/Hardscape
Recreational Play Area
Riparian
Rock Wall
Slope/Bank
Small Space
Vertical Spaces
Walkways
Woodland