- Syzygium anisatum
taxobox
name = "Syzygium anisatum"
image_caption = "Syzygium anisatum", leaf, cultivated.
regnum =Plantae
unranked_divisio =Angiosperm s
unranked_classis =Eudicot s
unranked_ordo =Rosid s
ordo =Myrtales
familia =Myrtaceae
genus = "Syzygium "
species = "S. anisatum"
binomial = "Syzygium anisatum"
binomial_authority = (Vickery) Craven & Biffen|"Syzygium anisatum" (formerly "Backhousia anisata" and "Anetholea anisata"), ringwood or aniseed tree is a rare Australian
rainforest tree with an aromatic leaf that has an essential oil profile comparable to trueaniseed . The leaf from cultivated plantations is used as a bushfoodspice and distilled for theessential oil , and is known in the trade as aniseed myrtle or anise myrtle.The ringwood tree has a dense crown and grows up to 45 metres. The leaves are 6-12 cm long with prominently wavey margins and aniseed aroma. Flowers are white and sweetly scented, borne in panicles. The fruit are dry papery capsules 5 mm long.
Ringwood's natural distribution in the wild is restricted to the Nambucca and Bellinger Valleys in the subtropics of Eastern
Australia . [ PlantNET, NSW Flora Online [http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/cgi-bin/NSWfl.pl?page=nswfl&lvl=sp&name=Anetholea~anisata] ]Uses
Used as a flavouring spice and herb tea ingredient.
Although previously known, it was first sold in the early 1990s as a bushfood spice, and in the mid 1990s cultivated in plantations to meet demand. [ Australian Native Food Industry Profile, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems [http://www.cse.csiro.au/research/nativefoods/industryprofile/regions.htm] ] [ Suppliers of cultivated bushfoods, CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems [http://www.cse.csiro.au/research/nativefoods/industryprofile/processors.htm] ]
The essential oil of "S.anisatum" contains
anethole andmethyl chavicol , imparting aniseed and licorice flavours respectively.'Aniseed myrtle' is the name originally coined to specifically describe high quality selections of the trans-anethole
chemotype (90%+) - considered GRAS (generally regarded as safe) forflavouring . These selections are propagated from cutting for consistent essential oil quality. The aniseed myrtle selections are also low inmethyl chavicol and cis-anethole (less than 0.1%).Research indicates that aniseed myrtle oil has
antimicrobial activity, including on thepathogenic yeast "Candida albicans ". [Wilkinson, J.M., Cavanagh, H.M.A., "Antibacterial activity of essential oils from Australian native plants", "Phytotherapy Research", Volume 19, Issue 7 , pp.643 - 646.]References:
Floyd, A.G., "Rainforest Trees of Mainland South-eastern Australia", ISBN 0-909605-57-2.
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