Syzygium anisatum

Syzygium anisatum
Flowers
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Syzygium
Species:
S. anisatum
Binomial name
Syzygium anisatum
(Vickery) Craven & Biffen
Synonyms
  • Anetholea anisata (Vickery) Peter G.Wilson
  • Backhousia anisata Vickery

Syzygium anisatum, with common names ringwood and aniseed tree, is a rare rainforest tree native to New South Wales, Australia. The aromatic leaves contain 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 m (148 ft) tall. The leaves are 6–12 cm (2.4–4.7 in) long with prominently undulated margins and rich aniseed aroma when crushed.

Flowers are white and sweetly scented, borne in panicles. The fruit are dry papery capsules around 5 mm (0.20 in) long and are white in appearance.

Ringwood's natural distribution in the wild is restricted to the Nambucca and Bellinger Valleys in northeastern New South Wales.