Syzygium anisatum

taxobox
name = "Syzygium anisatum"


image_caption = "Syzygium anisatum", leaf, cultivated.
regnum = Plantae
unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
unranked_classis = Eudicots
unranked_ordo = Rosids
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 true aniseed. The leaf from cultivated plantations is used as a bushfood spice and distilled for the essential 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 and methyl 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) for flavouring. These selections are propagated from cutting for consistent essential oil quality. The aniseed myrtle selections are also low in methyl chavicol and cis-anethole (less than 0.1%).

Research indicates that aniseed myrtle oil has antimicrobial activity, including on the pathogenic 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.