star anise chakra phool climate arunachal northeast cold hill altitude tree years import china vietnam
2 Answers
Be realistic about star anise. True star anise (Illicium verum) is a tree of cool moist subtropical hills and India imports most of what it uses from China and Vietnam. It can grow in suitable cool high rainfall hill pockets of the Northeast such as parts of Arunachal Pradesh and nearby hills, where some trees exist, but it is a slow tree that takes many years to bear and is not a quick or widely proven commercial crop across India. The plains and most of the country do not suit it. Also note some related Illicium species are toxic, so planting material identity matters. If you are in a cool Northeast hill area and interested, treat it as a long term experimental tree, confirm genuine planting material and suitability with the State Forest or Horticulture department and ICAR research centres before investing.
We have a few old star anise trees in our hills. They take a long time to grow and bear. It is not something you plant and earn from quickly. Most in the market is still imported.